


Magica Academy Vol. 1

by FairReviewer



Series: Magica Academy [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Character Development, Crazy stuff, Friendship, Magic School, Past Relationship(s), Spectres
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2019-01-07 11:21:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 40,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12231801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FairReviewer/pseuds/FairReviewer
Summary: Originally published on FictionPress.When Leon discovers that he is a Caster, he is sent to a special school where he can learn to harness his powers. The tale of magic and friendship begins here.





	1. Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Readers!
> 
> Some of you might have read my works. Some of you might not have.
> 
> To those who have, thank you for reading my stories. I hope to continue entertaining you!
> 
> To those who haven't, I hope to provide you guys with a gripping tale!
> 
>  
> 
> So let's get this party started!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leon discovers his powers as a Caster.

Casters

Mortals who draw upon the power of magic to accomplish great feats. Protectors of the land, and a beacon of hope for the world.

However, Sorcerers, practitioners of dark magic, rose to terrorize the land. Despite their valiant efforts, the Casters were forced back. Despair began to overtake them, and the darkness drew ever closer.

Then the goddess of life, Gaia, decided to send aid to the Casters.

Spectres

Companions who would aid their masters in battle, and be their greatest friends.

Together, the Casters and Spectres defeated the Sorcerers, and the land was peaceful once again. However, the darkness still existed.

And so, a school was built to educate young Casters on the workings of magic and Spectres. This institution is called Magica Academy, and has existed for centuries.

But can the education of Casters be enough to combat the eventual rise of Sorcerers? Only time will tell….

...

Leon was walking through the streets that night.

He was fifteen, rather average in height, and had brown hair with somewhat curled bangs. He wore a brown jacket over a pale green shirt, and had brown eyes.

He approached a shop called 'The Quick Rest', and stepped inside. His eyes scanned the rows of goods as he stalked the place. The shopkeeper was sweeping the floor.

Then the bell above the doors ringed as three people stepped inside. The one in the middle was dressed in a rather fancy gold coat and had blonde hair that was neatly combed, but still had little curls sticking out, and the two men on either side of him wore black cloths around the lower halves of their faces. The shopkeeper looked at them with a raised eyebrow, but didn't say anything.

Then the leader approached the counter and leaned over it.

"Excuse me?" He called.

The shopkeeper set his broom down and went to the man.

"Can I help you?" He asked.

"Yes." The man then grabbed the shopkeeper's shirt and picked him up threateningly. "Give me all of your money, now!"

"W-what!? Let me go!"

Leon saw the commotion and edged away from it.

"Not until you give me the money!" The thug pressed.

"No! It's not yours!" The shopkeeper refused.

The thug glared. "Fine, have it your way." He looked at the other two men. "You know the drill boys!"

They laughed and aimed their palms forward. On them were star tattoos, which started glowing white. Two figures started forming in front of them.

Leon's eyes widened in surprise as a red leopard with black and yellow spots rose up and roared, flames dancing around it. Beside it was a white wolf with a chilly aura emanating from it.

"Spectres…" Leon whispered in amazement.

"Leopyre!" The leopard's owner commanded. "Burn this place down!"

The leopard immediately spit out fireballs that scattered around the shop, setting it on fire. The shopkeeper screamed and ran away.

"Wait, if he's burning the place down…" The wolf's master thought out loud. "What do I…hey!"

Leon froze an inch away from the door, scared.

"Get him White Fang!" The thug ordered.

"Oh why me…" Leon moaned.

He went out of the shop screaming as the wolf bounded after him. He tore through street after street, desperate to escape his pursuer. It all ended when he ran into a dead end at an alley.

"Oh no…"

Leon turned around, only to find the wolf at the exit, with his master behind him.

"Looks like you're out of luck." The thug said smugly.

"Please…let me go…" Leon begged.

"Not a chance. You might have good money on you, and I'm taking it by force!"

"No!"

"Attack White Fang!"

The wolf barked and sprinted towards Leon, who shut his eyes in fear.

"Get away from me!"

It closed in on him and leaped, mouth wide open for the bite.

"I said stop!"

Leon thrust his hands out and gust of wind blew the wolf away. It yelped and tumbled to its master, who looked at Leon in surprise.

"What!?" He exclaimed. "You're a Caster!?"

"A…Caster?" Leon said in amazement. "I…have magic?" He shook his surprise off and looked at his attackers with determination. "Then take this!"

He summoned another gust of wind to blow them away, and they flew into the building behind them.

"Gah!" The thug groaned. He stood up and glared at him. "You think you're tough!? Well take this! White Fang!"

The wolf growled at Leon.

"Use your Ice Beam!"

"What!?"

The wolf opened its maw and icy blue energy began to charge.

The thug laughed. "You can't escape from being frozen!"

"Oh no…" Leon backed away, fear overtaking him again.

Then the wolf let out a blast of ice cold energy at him, and he crossed his arms.

"Ahhhh!" He screamed.

But then there was a loud 'CLANG!'

He looked up in surprise. A middle aged woman with blue hair tied in a bun stood in front of him, hand outstretched to form a glassy barrier that kept the attack at bay. Her attire consisted of a black dress with a somewhat short skirt.

"Are you alright?" She asked, glancing back at him with sapphire eyes.

"Y-yes…"

"Then step back and leave this all to me."

She lowered the barrier and approached the thug casually. He backed away from her.

"No…" He said fearfully. "Not another one…"

"You Rogues should learn to stop your crimes. Now prepare for your punishment."

She pointed a finger at the wolf, causing it to be lifted off the ground. It made a noise of surprise, then she threw it at the thug. He and his animal were knocked back and they hit the building once again.

"Ugh…" He weakly sat up and cast a fireball at the woman.

She deflected it with a lazy flick. "Pathetic."

Then she charged a ball electricity and fired it at them. It exploded in a shower of sparks, and when it cleared up, the thug and his wolf were knocked out.

"That takes care of everything." The woman said.

She turned to Leon, who stared at her in shock.

"Who…are you?" He asked warily.

"That will come eventually." She answered. "But first, what happened?"

"Well, that guy and two others razed a shop…" His eyes widened. "Oh god…the shop! We need to save it!"

"Then let's hurry!"

They broke into a run.

...

By the time they got there, the whole building was smothered in flames. Standing in front of the carnage were the other two men.

"You know," The leader said, placing a hand in his goon's shoulder. "We did a great job today! How about we get some ice cre-"

He was interrupted when a fireball exploded at their feet. While his partner went flying, he only slid a few feet.

"Ah…" He winced and looked at the burns on his coat with distaste. "Oh come on! I just bought this!"

"Oh don't worry." The woman assured.

She and Leon stopped in front of him.

"You'll look good with chains wrapped around you."

The man laughed. "Oh please! I'm not going to prison anytime soon!"

She smirked. "We'll see about that." She glanced at Leon. "Stay back."

He nodded and ran to a safe distance.

The woman took a deep breath, then focused on her opponent. The man just chuckled.

"You know," He said with a hint of amusement. "It's funny how fate takes us down different roads…Elise."

She glared at him. "Henry…" She said angrily. "It's not fate that chooses our lives. We choose our destinies for ourselves."

"So you say. But one day, you will realize that the freedom of choice is just an illusion."

He conjured shards of ice and sent them at her. She blocked them with a barrier and countered with a blast of water, which he rolled under. He then a beam of electricity towards her, and she sidestepped it. With a huff, she thrust her hands forward. A white circle with a star symbol appeared and began to spin, glowing with light.

"Oh, so you want to play rough." Henry teased. "Okay, have it your way!"

He conjured his own yellow circle, which began to glow as well. Once the lights were at their brightest, their conjurers fired.

Electricity and light met in a fierce clash, and struggled to overpower each other. The Casters stared each other down, neither of them faltering in their stances. After a couple of moments, Elise's attack began pushing forward.

"What!?" Henry cried in shock. "I can't lose! Not now!"

He tried to give his spell a push, but to no avail. The blast of light pushed aside the electricity and reached him, exploding on contact. He went flying down the street and tumbled to a stop. He groaned as he sat up, and scowled. Elise approached him with her palm aimed at his face.

"I never was able to best you." He said angrily. "Now I here I am, at your mercy. So, what will you do?"

"I'm taking you to the prison, where you will stay there for life." She replied coldly.

He smirked. "Oh, am I?"

Then there was a strong rush of wind as a yellow feathered bird the size of a bull swooped down and grabbed him, taking him to the air. He waved at Elise as he flew away.

"Sucker!" He taunted. "Better luck next time! Ha ha ha ha ha!"

After a few minutes, he faded from view, but Elise still glared at where his silhouette once was.

"Hey!" Leon called.

Elise turned to find him waving at her and pointing towards the burning building.

"Don't we need to take care of this?"

She nodded and rushed over to him. Then she pointed at a spot over the shop, and a rain cloud appeared. Rain drops fell over the flames, slowly extinguishing them.

Once the fire was taken care of, Leon turned to Elise.

"Thank you." He said gratefully.

"Your welcome." She returned. "I saw what you did. You're a Caster who has just discovered his powers."

"Yeah…" He shuffled uncomfortably. "So…what do I do now?"

She smiled. "You've heard of Magica Academy, correct?"

Leon nodded. "Yes." His eyes widened. "Wait…are you telling me…that I have to go there?"

"It's the safest place for you to harness your magic."

"But...what about my family? I don't want to leave them."

"On certain days, you will get to visit them. But until your education is complete, you will be living in the school."

He nodded solemnly. "Well…okay…how do I get there?"

"We'll send a teacher to pick you up on September 1st, which is in two days. Be sure to tell your friends and family goodbye. You won't get to see them often."

"A-alright…" He raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Wait…who are you, exactly?"

"Glad you finally asked again." She said in amusement. "I am Professor Elise Cosmos, and I am one of the teachers at Magica Academy."


	2. Welcome to Magica Academy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leon enters the World of Magic, where he meets Soleil Copellia and Noel Maddox.

Two days later, it was time to leave.

A silver door had appeared in front of Leon's house, and he rushed to meet the teacher who would be escorting him, and saw his family doing the same thing. When they stepped outside, Professor Cosmos was there to greet them.

"Are you ready?" She asked Leon.

He nodded. "Yes."

"Then let's get going. Student initiation is in an hour."

She stepped into the light, and he hesitantly followed her. Then he took one last look at his family. His mother had tears in her eyes, but she tried to smile as she waved at him. His father, on the other hand, had a frown on his face. His little brother was clutching their mother's leg, looking rather curiously at what was playing out in front of him.

Leon gave them a hopeful smile. "Don't worry, I'll be back." He assured them. "I can come visit you sometimes, so you don't have to be sad."

"Oh Leon…" His mother ran up to him and wrapped him in a hug. "Just stay safe."

"I will."

His father came up next. "While I may not like this…" His frown turned into a smile. "I can't deny that you are growing up. My son…do your best."

Leon nodded. "I will."

His brother was the last one to speak. "Brother…" He looked up at Leon with puppy-dog eyes. "Are you sure I can't come too?"

Leon ruffled his hair. "You're not a Caster. I'm sorry, but that's just how it is…"

"Aww…."

Leon chuckled. "Hey, I'll bring you something from there, I promise."

His brother smiled. "Okay." He hugged him. "Hope you have fun!"

Leon pulled away and nodded. "You bet."

He ruffled his hair one more time, then hugged his mother, and shook his father's hand.

"Well…goodbye."

And he stepped into the light, and the door closed behind him. Tears were in his eyes, but he tried to look hopeful.

"This isn't going to be bad." He assured himself.

"I was wondering what was taking you so long." Professor Cosmos said.

Leon looked up and saw her standing in front of him with her arms crossed.

"S-sorry." He said hastily. "I just wanted one last goodbye."

"Understandable. Now, let us be off."

They walked down a sterile white hallway with fluorescent lights along the walls. Leon couldn't help but feel isolated in this place…it was so empty.

"What is this place?" He asked.

"This is a corridor used to quickly travel from one part of the world, to another." The professor answered. "It's how we are able to reach a scene of trouble in time, and bring students to the academy in a safe manner."

A couple of minutes later, they reached the other door, and Professor Cosmos grabbed the handle.

"Are you ready to see what lies beyond this door?" She asked.

Leon took a deep breath. "Yes."

She opened it, and they stepped into the light once again. What Leon saw on the other side amazed him to the point of speechlessness.

He now stood in the middle of a courtyard. Benches placed around a statue of a woman surrounded by vines, which spewed water out of their tips to create a fountain. Small flower gardens were planted in way that made the pavement cross into an 'X' shape with the fountain at the center. A wall encircled the entire area, with four gates serving as exits. In the back of the place, a massive building made of white stone stood proudly over everything else, with a clock tower top it off.

Leon really couldn't say anything, which made Professor Cosmos laugh.

"Quite the sight, isn't it?" She asked knowingly.

"Y-yeah…" He managed to let out.

"Well, we still have plenty of time before the initiation starts. Would you like to look around?"

"I can do that!?" He can asked excitedly.

"Hmm…yes. But don't get lost, this is a rather big place after all. Be at the dining hall when the bell rings."

Leon was busy gazing at the scenery. "Yeah…" He blinked and snapped back to attention. "Wait, what? Professor?"

He looked around, but she was nowhere in sight.

"….you have got to be kidding me." He said in disbelief.

He sat down on a bench and leaned back. The sound of the trickling water was calming, and the view of the academy was amazing. It was the perfect place to relax, and Leon soon found his eyes beginning to close.

...

He was jerked awake by the ear piecing ring of the bell, and his head collided with something round and hard. He and somebody else shouted in pain and fell back.

"Ugh…" He groaned.

His vision cleared, and he saw a girl around his age rubbing her forehead with one hand and holding a marker in the other. Her scarlet hair was cut short and uneven, making it look sort of spiked along the sides. She wore a brown variant of Professor Cosmos's dress, which caused him to immediately shift his gaze away until she got up.

"Ow…" She moaned. "That really hurt…" She looked at him with fierce red eyes.

"Why did you have your face so close to mine anyway?" Leon asked.

"I was about to draw on you." She said with a grin, holding up the marker.

"What!? Why would you even do that!?"

"It's funny!" She laughed.

"My life just gets weirder and weirder…" Leon sighed.

"Hey, lighten up! Think about the amazing things that will happen here."

He tilted his head. "Like what?"

She counted them off. "Learn magic, get some really cool pets, and best of all…" She squealed "Fight bad guys!"

"Bad guys? We're just students, aren't we?"

"My brother used to go here, and he said that the school sometimes assigns you to missions to take care of any problems going on all over the world. Minor stuff, like robberies, Rogue attacks, even wild Spectres, but it's still exciting! Don't you think?"

"….why did I even think my education would be easy?"

"Hey, you'll do fine!" She gave him a slap on the back, which made him flinch. "Well, I might as well introduce myself!" She pumped one fist and raised the other into the air. "My name is Soleil Copellia! Nice to meet you!"

"Uh…likewise." He offered a hand. "I'm Leon Ellsworth."

"That's…a weird last name…" She shook his hand.

"Says the one whose last name is Copellia."

"Touché." She winked. "So…" She looked up at the clock. "Did I imagine the bell ringing or…"

Leon's eyes widened. "Oh my god!" He sat up quickly. "The initiation is starting! We have to hurry!"

"Oh right! I know where to go! Just follow me!"

Soleil ran towards the building, and Leon quickly went after her. They opened the doors and stepped into a grand entrance hall. A red carpet covered the entire floor, and up ahead was a set of stairs that split into two directions. On the right side of the hall were black double doors with gold handles.

Soleil pointed at them. "Right there."

They walked up to one side of the door, and opened it. From the several rows of tables, dozens of students in similar uniforms turned their heads towards the newcomers. Leon and Soleil hurried to the table closest to them, sitting beside a boy with curly blonde hair. His green eyes were scanning a thick book in front of him.

Professor Cosmos sat up from a golden table at the back of the hall, where the other teachers sat. She walked towards a podium in front of the table, and tapped her throat.

"Now that everyone is here." Her voice rang loud and clear across the hall. "I am Professor Cosmos, and would like to give the new Casters a very warm welcome to Magic Academy. Here, you will learn to control your powers and use them for the good of others."

Some of the students whispered among themselves, and the professor waited for everyone to be quiet.

"Now, with that all well and over with," She continued. "It is time for your initiation to begin. But first, our headmaster Professor Dyke would like to have a word with you."

At that moment, a man in white and purple robes rose from his seat. He was in his forties, and his peppery hair was neatly trimmed and combed. His blue eyes examined each and every one of them, like he was trying to read their thoughts.

He took Professor Cosmos's place at the podium and tapped his throat.

"Let me keep this brief." He began. "Some of you are here because you only just discovered your powers. Others, you are here to fulfill the dreams of being a hero. There are even those who just want to hone their skills so they can compete with others."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"However…" His voice became a bit more grim. "Your days in this life are not going to be easy, to those of you who train for glory or understanding. And to those who think this is all a fairy tale…you will find that life doesn't simply work like that."

There were people who looked down sadly.

"Wow." Soleil whispered to Leon. "He's a real mood killer."

"Still…" Professor Dyke smiled. "Even if the darkness draws close, we have the power to protect people in their time of need. Even if life brings you down, there will always be something to lift you even higher. And so, I wish you all the best of luck in your education and other endeavors."

Everyone gave him a round of applause, and he bowed before returning to his seat. Professor Cosmos returned to the podium.

"And now, we can get on with your initiation." She said. "Please file out of the hall in an orderly fashion, and go to the entrance of the forest. I will give you an explanation on the initiation when we get there."

The students swarmed out of the building, excited for the initiation. Soleil and Leon stayed behind group with the bookworm, talking with each other.

"What do you think the initiation is going to be like?" Leon asked curiously.

"I don't know…" Soleil answered thoughtfully. "My brother said he didn't want to spoil it for me."

The blonde guy next to them shut his book and looked at them. "Isn't it obvious?" He asked.

"No…" Leon said uncertainly.

"We're going to get our Spectres. It's really common sense if you actually think about it enough."

"Huh…you're right, now that I think about it."

"Oh thank goodness!" Soleil said. "I didn't want to wait for my Spectre! Oooooh! I wonder what mine will be!"

"Just as long as it isn't something menacing…" Leon said with a hint of fear.

"It could very well happen. Once you meet your fated partner, you get a symbol on the palm of your hand. It's a sign that an unbreakable bond has formed between the Caster and his or her Spectre."

Leon remembered last night. The thugs had star symbols on their palms, and he could remember Professor Cosmos having one too.

"Say…" He looked at the blonde kid. "What's your name?"

"I'm Noel Maddox." The kid answered. "And you are?"

"Leon Ellsworth."

"Soleil Copellia!" Soleil said.

"Well, it was nice meeting you." Noel said. "But shouldn't we be catching up to everyone now?"

Leon ahead and saw how far they had been left behind.

"Not again…" He groaned. "Come on guys!"

He and his new friends took off towards the forest, where their Spectres would be waiting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just noticed that the phone put 'magical' instead of 'magica'.
> 
> Screw you Auto-Correct.


	3. Spectral Forest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The students' initiation begins with a bang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to say this.
> 
> This was inspired by works like RWBY, Pokémon, and Harry Potter.
> 
> Now let's get back to the story, shall we?

She wore the standard uniform, and had a blue streak in her straight blonde hair. Her green eyes sparkled with excitement as she walked across the field.

"This is going to be amazing!"

"It's not THAT much to talk about, Mary."

Beside the girl was one who looked quite similar to her, except for the orange streak.

"Oh come on Amber! We've dreamed about this since we were kids! Now here we are!" Mary wrapped an arm around her sister and gestured to the land in front of them. "The Artegnan twins! Taking Magica Academy by storm! We will be heroes!"

"That's kind of the point." Amber shrugged her off. "You heard what Professor Dyke said, it's not going to be that simple. Life as a Caster isn't a fairy tale."

"Well I'll prove you wrong sister! I guarantee it!"

Amber rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Whatever you say…"

A rather tall boy with shaved brown hair pushed through them, followed by a skinny boy with somewhat spiked black hair. The taller boy held up a locket, which the smaller one attempted to grab, but to no avail.

"Nice try pipsqueak." The tall boy said in amusement.

"Gah!"

"Hey!" Amber stepped between them. "What's going on here?"

"Nothing." The guy said. "I'm just playing with him."

"He took my locket!" The small boy explained.

"Give it back to him. Or I will show you just what I can do." Amber threatened, raising her hand.

"Alright." The guy complied, throwing the boy his locket. "But only because you're cute. If you ever want me, just find me." He winked, and started walking away. "The name's Cordell Irving. See you later, ladies!"

Amber groaned once he was out of earshot. "I hate his type. Thinks he's cool because he picks on people smaller than him. Why I could just…"

"Now calm down sis." Mary cut in. "We at least helped this boy." She turned to him. "I'm Mary, this is Amber, and you are?"

"Don't mention it! We're always happy to be of assistance!"

"Will you be alright?" Amber asked worriedly. "You can stay with us for now, if you want."

"R-really?" Rune said in surprise. "Thank you!"

"Then let's keep going. We're falling behind."

Watching the scene from close by was Leon, Soleil, and Noel.

"The first day, and we already have a bully." Leon sighed, returning to his pace.

"Don't worry." Soleil assured. "He'll just be all bark, and no bite."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Noel countered. "He is a Caster too, after all. He can use magic for his bullying purposes."

"Then we can fight back, plain and simple!"

They soon reached a cliff overlooking a vast forest, with the remains of a temple behind it. A gentle breeze blew by, and bird-like Spectres were flying overhead.

They soon reached a cliff overlooking a vast forest, with the remains of a temple behind it. A gentle breeze blew by, and bird-like Spectres were flying overhead.

"Wow…" Soleil gazed at the land in amazement. "So many trees! And look at that place over there!" She pointed at the ruins.

"Attention students!"

Professor Cosmos and Professor Dyke approached them, then stood a few feet away.

"Now that everyone is alert, we will be explaining this initiation. You know of Spectres, correct?"

Everyone nodded.

"Well, this is the Spectral Forest, where you will meet and form a bond with your Spectre. You will be entering this forest with nothing more than the clothes on your back…" Then she waved her hand, and a piece of paper appeared over the student's heads, which they caught. "And a list of basic combat spells."

Leon examined the contents in confusion. They were written in a different language.

"As you have noticed, they are written in Latin. We imbued the language with the power to cast spells due to the dangers of nonverbal casting, which we will go over as your education advances."

"I already know this." Noel whispered to Leon. "Been studying for the past week."

"Now I will have Professor Dyke explain the rest."

"Thank you Elise." Professor Dyke said. "The Spectral Forest houses the most amazing Spectres, but also the most dangerous. You will need to be vigilant, and find help as quickly as possible. The objective is the ruins, where you will find several relics that you have to retrieve."

"Professor?" Rune raised his hand. "What do you mean by 'find help'?"

"Oh, right. I will be scattering you when your initiation starts, and you will need to land safely. Once you find someone to team up with, he or she will be your partner for your years in Magica Academy."

"Hope we get together sis." Mary whispered to Amber.

"Ah…but what exactly do you mean by 'scatter'?"

"Exactly what I said." Professor Dyke looked amused.

"Professor?" Leon joined in. "How do you land safely?"

"You will be figuring that out by yourself."

"W-wait.." Rune looked a little scared. "What's going-"

The headmaster snapped his fingers, and blue shockwaves exploded beneath the students' feet, sending them screaming and flying high into the air. He simply watched them with an amused smile on his face, waving.

"I enjoy myself with this every year." He said, laughing.

"I really don't see how one can take pride in shooting students off a cliff." Professor Cosmos said with a bit of worry.

"How about I let you try it next year so you can see for yourself?"

"I think I'll pass, thank you."

...

Leon found himself plummeting towards the forest at high speed. Quickly scanning his list of spells, he found one that looked useful.

"Ventus!" He shouted, aiming for the ground.

Right before he made impact, a burst of wind slowed his fall, causing him to go tumbling along the ground instead. He disappeared in a bundle of bushes.

..…..

Noel already knew what to use for this situation.

He saw a tree branch he could latch on to, and he aimed his palm at it.

"Fune." He said.

A rope made of light shot towards the branch, wrapping around it. Gripping the rope tightly, Noel used it to swing through the trees and make a safe a landing.

.…

Soleil appeared to be having fun, since she was laughing while she fell towards the forest.

When she was close to the treetops, she flipped to her back and scanned her list. She smiled at the one that stood out to her, and she aimed her palm forward.

"Ignis!" She shouted.

A ball of fire was shot out, and the recoil made her bounce a little in the air. She continued to use the spell until she hit ground, rolling to a stop. She came up with a grin on her face, and a few twigs in her hair.

"Nailed it!"

….

Amber remained calm as she soared towards a tree.

She flipped herself so her feet were facing the tree, and aimed her palm at it as well.

"Murus." She said.

A transparent wall stopped her from making the impact. She back flipped off of it, landing on a branch, and searched the area. She saw Rune screaming and flailing as he fell towards the forest, and it looked like he didn't have a clue on what to do.

She made her finger into a gun-like shape, and took careful aim.

"Spica."

A blue needle sped forward, dipping into the forest as Rune entered as well. Amber waited a moment, anxious for the outcome.

"Thank you!" The faint voice of Rune called.

Amber sighed in relief and waved. "You're welcome!"

..…..

Mary was screaming in delight as she dived towards the ground.

She skimmed through her spells and saw one that looked fun to use. She aimed her palm at the ground, keeping her aim steady.

"Aspergo!"

A splash of water kept her from making a fatal impact, making her bounce up a little. She front flipped and landed perfectly on her feet, her arms raised triumphantly.

"I did it!"

She stepped forward…and slipped in the mud.

.….

Later, Leon was wandering around the forest, looking for someone to partner up with him.

(Okay.) He thought. (I need someone to team up with me. Noel seems smart enough to know the dangers of anything we come across…but I don't think he'd do to well in a confrontation. Soleil is nice, and she probably hold herself…but I don't think she'd be careful…)

He sighed. (Those are the only two I know…and I don't know where they are….) His face lit up. (Wait…we have to find a Spectre too! But what could possibly end up being mine?)

The sound of crashing trees and a faint yelp from nearby caught Leon's attention.

"What was that?" He thought out loud, and ran towards the commotion.

When he got there, he was frozen in shock.

What appeared to be a green puppy with a sliver stripe along the bridge of its nose was being chased by an icy wolf just like the one Leon saw last night. Apparently, there was more than one of each Spectre.

The puppy was backed up to a tree, shivering in fear as the wolf crept closer.

"Get away from it!" Leon shouted, aiming his palm at the wolf. "Ignis!"

The wolf looked at him just in time for its face to meet a fireball. It yelped and stumbled back in surprise, shaking its head. The puppy used the distraction to retreat to Leon's side.

"Are you alright?" He asked it.

The puppy looked at him with sad eyes, still shivering.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you."

He stepped in front of it protectively just as the wolf recovered from the attack. It growled at Leon threateningly.

"You are not hurting it on my watch." He said.

The wolf barked and began to charge at him at breakneck speed, tackling him before he could react. Leon yelled as he and the wolf wrestled on the ground. But he was no match for the Spectre's strength, and found himself pinned down with it snarling at him.

"Oh god…" He gulped. "S-somebody help me!"

The wolf opened its jaws and drew its head back, and Leon closed his eyes.

"Please…"

Just before the bite came, he heard a 'thump' and a yelp as the wolf was tackled by the puppy. The icy Spectre flew into a nearby tree, and dropped to the ground.

Leon looked at the Spectre who saved him in surprise. "Why did you do that?"

The puppy looked at him with confidence and barked. Its tail was wagging happily.

"Thank you."

He stood up and looked at the wolf, which was starting to shake off its daze.

"Do you want to fight?" He asked the puppy.

It crouched down and growled at the Spectre, which seemed more cute than threatening, but Leon smiled.

"Then let's do this together!"

His palm started glowing in a rainbow light, and he gasped in surprise. A few seconds later, it faded away to reveal a star symbol like the ones he saw that night.

"No way…" He said faintly. "You're my Spectre?"

The puppy cocked its head in a questioning way.

"But what are you?"

Then a card appeared from his hand in a flash, and he grabbed it.

"Ropup…" He read, then pocketed the card. "Okay, then it's nice to meet you…partner. I'm Leon."

Ropup barked and ran around him.

"Okay, settle down. We have things to attend to."

As if to prove his point, the icy wolf started growling at them. Ropup crouched down again, ready to fight.

"Alright!" Leon said confidently. "We can do this! Ropup, Tackle!"

It charged at the opposing Spectre, and Leon's first fight with his partner began.


	4. Of Casters and Spectres

"Leon!" Soleil called. "Noel!"

She had been searching the forest for them, but didn't even catch a glimpse. She sighed and kicked the ground.

"I'm bored!" She complained. "Can I at least have someone to talk to?"

Then some bushes nearby shook, and she froze.

"Who's there?" She asked cautiously, edging towards them. "Leon?"

She peeked over them, and blinked at the growling thing in front of her.

"Nope." She stated.

She rolled out of the way as a red wolf jumped out and clawed at where she just was. It stood tall on its hind legs and howled. Flames leaked through its snarling jaws.

"Now this is what I call entertainment!" Soleil cheered. "Come and get me, doggy!"

It lunged at her, and she back flipped.

"Missed me!" She taunted.

She aimed her palm at its head, and kept her hand steady. It barked and lunged again.

"Wait for it…"

Once it was a foot away, she began to chant.

"Gla-"

Then a screech made them both stop and look up. An orange monkey with little embers coming from its head dropped from the trees, its fist blazing. With a loud 'smack' it punched the wolf on the top of its head and fell to Soleil's feet.

The wolf cupped its head and howled in pain, staggering back. Soleil just looked at the newcomer in awe for a moment…then got angry.

"Hey, that was my fight!" She protested. "You can't just barge in like that!"

The monkey flailed and made a series of screeches in response.

"If you want a fight, just wait your turn."

The monkey looked down sadly, and moaned.

Soleil huffed, but smiled a couple of seconds later. "But that was a nice punch."

The monkey smiled and jumped happily.

Then the enemy growled at them, and they looked at it, then back at each other. They shared a grin and chuckled.

"Ah, what the heck!" Soleil said. "Let's beat this thing together!"

She pumped her fist into the air, and it started to glow. A star symbol was revealed, and she looked at it in amazement. Then she laughed and jumped up high.

"This is the best day ever!"

Then a card appeared, and she grabbed it.

"Burnape." She read, then chuckled. "I think we'll get along just fine my friend. Now let's trounce this bad dog!"

Burnape nodded and screeched in agreement, and they readied themselves for their fight.

…..

"Hmm…they look pretty." Noel noted. "But they're probably poisonous…"

He stood in front of a patch of purple flowers, which swayed a little when a gentle breeze passed by. He frowned at them in suspicion.

"I'm not taking any chances." He picked up a stick. "Now let's see…"

He tossed it in the middle of the patch, and waited for a moment. Then the stick starting smoking, and burns started appearing on it.

Noel smirked. "Not today." He pulled out a pocket journal, and a pen. "I'll write this down just in case."

He started to record his findings, then stopped when he heard leaves rustling above him.

"Who's there?"

He looked up, but nothing came out. He waited for a moment, then the leaves rustled again.

"Come out." He demanded.

A tiny owl with yellow and orange feathers hopped into view, and Noel sighed in relief.

"At least you're friendly." He said. "What are you watching me for?"

The owl hooted and glided towards him, perching itself on his book. The bird lightly pecked the object and hooted again.

"You're interested in my journal?" Noel asked with a raised eyebrow. "That's kind of flattering."

The owl cocked its head and gave an enthusiastic hoot. It hopped onto Noel's shoulder, and settled on him, much to his surprise.

"You want to go with me?"

The owl nodded.

"Well, it would be nice to have another intellectual around." Noel smiled. "Sure."

Then he looked down in surprise as his hand glowed, and a star symbol appeared on his palm.

"So you're my Spectre…"

A card appeared, and grabbed it.

"Owlet." He nodded and pocketed the card. "Well, here's to an everlasting companionship."

…

"Soleil!" Leon called. "Noel! Where are you?"

Ropup howled as well.

After several minutes of wandering the forest, they still had not found Leon's friends, and he was starting to get anxious.

"Ah…where could they be?"

A shaking bush made them turn around apprehensively, and Ropup growled. Then one of the twin girls from earlier stepped out, with a small bird of snow white and icy blue plumage sitting on her head.

"Oh." She bowed. "Excuse me. I didn't mean to disturb you."

"Don't worry." He sighed. "I just thought it was another wild Spectre." He tilted his head. "You looking for someone too?"

"Yes. My sister Mary and a guy called Rune. You didn't see them, did you?"

"I saw you with a girl that looked like you, and a boy with black hair. That them?"

"Yes."

Leon shook his head. "Then no. Sorry."

She sighed sadly. "It's alright." She smiled. "Ah well, let me introduce myself. I'm Amber, nice to meet you."

"Leon, likewise." He replied.

Ropup barked and ran around Amber playfully, which made her laugh.

"Who is this?" She asked in amusement.

"That's Ropup." Leon said with a smile. "He's my partner."

"Cute." She beckoned her bird to her finger, and held it out. "This is Flurrybird."

Flurrybird chirped and hopped back onto Amber's head.

"Sorry, it's made a nest out of my head." She laughed. "And it doesn't seem to like leaving it."

"I'm sure it'll grow used to other places. " Leon chuckled too. "Just give it time."

"Well, as long as our friends aren't around, how about we stick together for now?" Amber offered.

"Better than wandering this place alone. I'll take it." Leon accepted.

They resumed their search for their friends together.

….

"Help!" Rune shouted desperately, flailing about. "Get me down from here!"

He was currently pinned high up a tree by the magic needle Amber had fired, and he couldn't get down. Now he needed someone to save him before the needle faded.

"And I don't know when this thing will wear off…" He sighed.

"Hello?" A voice called.

"Is that you Mary?" Rune asked hopefully.

"Nope!"

The red haired girl stepped out, with an orange monkey at her heels.

"My name is Soleil!" She corrected.

"Well I'm Rune!" He said hastily. "Now could you please help me out?"

"Sure!" She looked at her monkey. "Could you do the honors, Burnape?"

Burnape chattered and nodded, then rushed to and up the tree. Once it reached the needle, it used a nimble hand to wrench it off of Rune. The boy fell with a scream, and Soleil stepped up to catch him.

"Thank you…" He said weakly, slowly getting out of her arms.

"No problem!" Soleil said cheerfully. "Always happy to help. Now, you were looking for someone named Mary?"

"Yeah, and her sister. Have you seen them?"

"Nope! But if you need me to escort you for a bit, I'd be willing to!"

"R-really? Thank you!"

"Don't mention it! As long as you leave the fights to me!"

"Are you sure? The woods are a dangerous place."

"Nothing I can't handle!" Soleil ran through the forest. "Now onwards to adventure!"

"W-wait!" Rune struggled to catch up with her. "Don't let me get lost!"

…..….

"If I'm correct…" Noel pondered. "The ruins should be close." He frowned. "But still no sign of Leon and Soleil…"

"Looking for your friends too?"

He turned around when one of the twin girls approached him, with an ocean blue bunny in her arms.

"I saw you earlier." He remembered. "What's your name?"

"I'm Mary." She lifted up the bunny. "And this is Bubbleby."

"I'm Noel." He pointed at Owlet. "This is Owlet. So you're also searching for someone?"

"Yep! My sister and this boy we met. Mind if I tag along until I find them?"

Noel cupped his chin in thought. "We are far safer with bigger numbers…I don't see any problem. You can come along."

Mary cheered. "Yay! Now let's get to looking!"

"Just be careful. You don't know what could happen."

"Yes sir!"

They walked into the depths of the woods side by side, while a golden feather floated to the ground behind them.

A large shadow rose up, its white eyes glaring at their backs.

….…..

"Everyone appears to be doing fine so far." Professor Cosmos observed.

They were watching the students from the cliff through magic mirrors, which showed their progress.

"I'm really curious with the matchups these students got. " Professor Dyke said, gazing at Leon and and his friends.

"Ah…Leon Ellsworth and Amber Artegnan." She examined them thoughtfully. "He has potential, I can sense that. But he doesn't appear to be stellar from what I saw. Still, to have a Ropup…he gives of that aura of loyalty and charisma, which is a positive thing."

"Yes…but Amber has natural talent. She was the star student of her last school after all, and has a grasp of some intermediate level magic despite being a freshman. And her Flurrybird isn't something to be trifled with."

"Yes…" Professor Cosmos nodded. "This temporary arrangement will work out. As for the others…" She glanced at the others and sighed. "I feel bad for Rune Maverick…to be stuck with someone like Soleil Copellia…"

"Yes, she is quite…hyper." Professor Dyke agreed. "And a trouble maker from her last school. Still, she seems capable of protecting him. And that Burnape is a perfect match for her personality."

"Too perfect…as well as Noel Maddox and his Owlet. " She looked at him. "A genius Caster and Spectre…they'll be blowing our tests out of the water."

For a moment, she gazed at the boy with skepticism. Like there was something off...

"Elise?" Professor Dyke called, confused.

"Oh!" Professor Cosmos coughed. "What was that?"

"I think it's good to have a student invested that much in education."

"You're right…" She shook her head. "Now Mary Artegnan. She doesn't have her sister's performances, that I'm sure of."

"But she has an honest interest in helping others, and the energy needed for it."

"Yes. But Bubbleby…how can something like a bunny be suited for a combat situation? I don't think anyone else has ever used theirs like that…."

"Looks like this will be the most interesting initiation we've had in a while." Professor Dyke chuckled. "I still remember Soleil's brother's initiation."

"Armand definitely made a spectacle." Professor Cosmos agreed. "The question is, will she top it?"

"All we can do is wait and see."

They grew quiet as the rest of the event played out before them.


	5. Gathering at the Ruins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As everyone approaches the ruins, Noel and Mary find themselves in big trouble.

"So…do you have any idea where we're going?" Rune asked.

"Well…we're supposed to find the ruins." Soleil answered.

"I know, but do you know how to get there?"

"Uh….no."

Rune fell back with a groan. "Why did I have to be stuck with you?"

Soleil put her fists on her hips, glaring at him. "Would you rather be stuck in a tree?"

Burnape chattered angrily.

"Okay.…I get it…" Rune stood up and looked around. "But how do we know if we're going the right way?"

"Hmm…." Soleil looked at her Spectre and snapped her fingers. "Burnape!"

The monkey looked at her curiously.

"Think you can climb up the trees and look for the ruins?"

It nodded and jumped onto one of the trees, scurrying up it. After a couple of moments, it came back down and frantically pointed west.

"Alright!" Soleil cheered. "Let's get going!"

….

"Huh…I think we came to the wrong place." Noel said warily.

Owlet gave a shaky hoot, looking clearly on edge.

After wandering through the forest, they arrived at a large clearing. In front of them was a circle of stones as big as the average house, with a bed of sticks and branches inside.

"What do you think it is?" Mary asked.

Bubbleby hopped into the bed, and Mary went after it.

"It's right at the edge of my mind…" He tapped his head. "If only I had something to jog my memory…"

Mary kicked at the pile of twigs. "It looks like a nest for a very big bird."

"Big bird…where did I…" Noel gasped. "Oh no! This is bad!"

"What is it?" Mary asked in alarm.

"This is a Wyvern's nest! They're A-Class Spectres! We're way out of our league!"

"Then we need to get out of here!"

Mary scooped her Spectre up and dashed out of the nest. Noel turned to leave as well, but they stopped when they saw a shadow pass over them.

Circling overhead was a bird with golden feathers, which gradually spiralled down until it hovered onto the nest, sending a gust of air that made the students stagger back. The Spectre was big enough to stand perfectly in the circle, and it gazed at them with cold amber eyes.

"Noel…" Mary whispered urgently. "What do we do?"

"Well, we're too weak to fight it." He responded. "So…"

The Wyvern's jagged beak opened to let out a screech sharp enough to make them cover their ears and scream.

"Run!" Noel shouted once the noise subsided.

They turned around and made a mad dash to escape the Spectre that started to chase them.

…..

When a distant cry reached his ears, Leon stopped and looked behind him.

"What was that?" He wondered.

"Someone might be in trouble." Amber said with a hint of worry. "I hope my sister and Rune are okay…"

"And Soleil and Noel too…"

Amber shook her head. "We shouldn't stay here any longer. With luck, our friends will be at the ruins."

"Right." Leon nodded.

They continued to travel straight through the forest, until the trees parted to reveal the site of the ruins.

"Whoa…." Leon said in awe.

Broken pillars stood parallel to each other, leading to an altar that stood in front of an ancient building with a leaf symbol on its stone doors. The altar had several small tables, most of which were bare. The two that weren't had two statuettes on them.

Leon and Amber jogged over to them and picked one to take. He chose the one which had a centaur holding a bow and arrow, while she had the one with a dancing lady.

"Well, mission accomplished." Leon said with a grin.

"Yes." Amber agreed, but she looked at the forest sadly. "But our friends…"

"We need to find them."

"Then let's-"

The sound of crashing trees and people's screamed made them jump. On the horizon, trees were gradually being mowed down by something golden and big, and it was fast approaching.

"What is that!?" Leon exclaimed.

Ropup crouched apprehensively, growling.

Then dashing into the ruins was Noel and the girl who looked like Amber, and they looked like they were desperate to escape from something. On Noel's shoulder was a yellow owl while the girl had a blue bunny in her arms.

"Noel!" Leon beamed.

"Mary!" Amber cried in delight.

Her twin smiled and waved as she ran over to her.

"Amber!" Mary shouted, tackling her in a hug.

"Leon!" Noel shouted.

He put a hand on his shoulder and bended over, panting from exhaustion. Leon patted him on the back, while the girls got up and watched.

"What happened?" He asked in concern.

"Hah…being…chased by…hah…" Noel gasped.

"Chased by what?"

The answer came in the form of a screech and a giant golden bird soaring out of the bundle of trees, sending branches and leaves flying through the air. Everyone looked at it apprehensively.

"Were you running from that giant bird?" Leon asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's a Wyvern." Noel corrected. "An A-Class Spectre. Even with the three of us, we'd be hard pressed to beat it."

The wyvern folded its wings and started spinning, becoming a golden drill that dived towards them at high speed.

"It's coming for us!" Amber said. "What do we do?"

"We need to escape." Noel answered, looking around. "There!"

He pointed at a stone path to the west that led through the forest.

"That must lead to the exit of this forest."

"Okay…" Leon looked back the way they came. "But what about Soleil?"

"And Rune?" The girls added.

"We just hope we find them along the way." Noel said confidently.

They looked at the Wyvern, which was about to reach them.

"Alright…" Leon agreed reluctantly. "Let's get out of here!"

They began to sprint to the path just as their predator crashed into the altar, reducing it to rubble that scattered all over the ruins.

…

"Hey!" Soleil pointed ahead. "Someone's injured!"

Leaning against a boulder was what appeared to be a person, who had an arm wrapped around himself.

"What do we do?" Rune asked warily.

"Let's see what's going on!"

When they reached him, they saw that he wasn't a person.

It was a Spectre about as tall as a 13 year old boy, and looked like a bug. It's pale green skin was burnt and bruised in several places. On its forearms were flat, luminous blue plates that were circular and a little dirty, but otherwise unscathed. It had a short and stubby claw popping out of each wrist. It had appendages that served as legs, with rather flat and circular feet. The arms and legs were about as skinny as the body they were attached to. On its back were scaly and transparent wings.

"No way…" Soleil covered her mouth in shock.

"What did this?" Rune asked the Spectre in concern.

It looked at them with red eyes like a fly's, which made him flinch.

"Uh…we're not here to hurt you."

Rune knelt down to the creature and placed a comforting hand on it. The poor thing was shaking.

"I'll make the pain go away." He assured.

He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.

"Curare."

A wave of green light began to spread over the Spectre. Slowly, the burns began to fade and the cuts began to close, until not a single wound remained.

Rune pulled back and sighed tiredly. "There, better?"

The Spectre moved its arms experimentally, and nodded.

"Great!" Soleil cheered.

Burnape jumped and clapped happily.

"Now that we helped the Spectre, what do we do?"

"What did this to you?" Rune asked it.

It hesitated, then motioned for them to peek over the boulder. Upon taking a look, Rune's eyes widened in fear. It was a big cave carved into a mountain of stone.

"What is that?" He squeaked.

"It's the den of a monster." Soleil's voice sounded dangerously excited. "Looks like our friend had a little run in with it."

The Spectre nodded vigorously.

"So…what do we do?"

Soleil walked around the boulder and put her hands on her hips. "We're going to fight it!"

"What!?"

"Who knows what else it could do? It might end up killing other students if we let it go!"

"B-but we don't even have the numbers!" Rune protested. "And I'm not even good with offensive magic! You'll be taking everything on by yourself!"

"I have Burnape with me!"

The monkey Spectre nodded and stood up proudly.

"Still, even the two of you won't be enough!"

Then he felt something on his shoulder, and he whipped his head around. The bug Spectre had put an arm on him, and was staring at him. Rune returned the gaze for a bit, wondering what it wanted, then he gasped.

"Y-you want to fight with us?" He asked.

It nodded.

"But you might get hurt again…"

It shook its head and pumped its arm.

"Well, if you really want to.…" He smiled "Alright."

He grabbed its arm, and they did a sort of handshake.

"From now on, we're in this together."

Then they flinched when a light flashed from Rune's hand, and a star symbol appeared on his palm. Rune looked at it in amazement.

"You're my Spectre…" He muttered. "Well…what's your name?"

A card appeared, and he grabbed it, taking a look at the writing.

"So you're…Armantis." He pocketed the card. "Okay, is everyone ready?"

They all nodded.

"Let's rock this monster!" Soleil pumped a fist into the air.

Then they walked towards the cave, ready to face whatever challenge may come.

…..

"This is bad…" Professor Cosmos said worriedly. "Leon and Noel's groups might have met up, but they have a Wyvern chasing after them." She put her hand out. "I need to go down there!"

"Patience Elise." Professor Dyke said. "This might have an interesting turnout."

"B-but-"

"Don't worry, I'm sure the students can do this."

"Alright…"

They checked on Rune and Soleil's progress.

"Armantis…" Professor Cosmos said in awe. "For Rune to have such a noble partner…it's quite the blessing."

"Something tells me that the boy might just have what it takes to be something special." Professor Dyke said. "Just like his ancestor..."

"I don't know…he doesn't appear to be good in a combat situation, and that simple heal spell drained him."

"He'll get the hang of things...in time."

She sighed. "I hope you're right."

They watched the rest of the initiation in silence.


	6. Battle on the Bridge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone manages to unite, and they finally face their foes.

"We're pretty far in…" Rune said cautiously. "And it's so dark…"

"At least we have Burnape to light the way." Soleil pointed out.

Burnape's head flames gave a small bit of light that allowed them to see where they were going. It grinned at them proudly.

Rune looked at Armantis. "Are we close?"

It nodded.

"Well, I hope you guys are ready…"

"We'll be fine!" Soleil assured. "I mean, how tough can this thing possibly-oof!"

She flailed to regain her balance when her legs bumped into something…flat? She blinked at the obstacle in confusion.

"What is that?" She wondered, poking it.

Armantis quickly grabbed her and pulled her back. It shook its head desperately.

"What is it?" Rune asked warily. "Is it…the Spectre?"

Armantis nodded.

The object gave a small screech, and they froze.

"Burnape…" Soleil said slowly. "Could you…brighten things up more?"

Burnape gulped, but shut its eyes in concentration. Its flame flared up, giving more light to the cave, and revealing the Spectre in front of them. They stared at the thing frightfully, nothing but shaky breaths coming out of their mouths.

Then it gave a another screech, and they screamed.

…

Leon's group sprinted through the forest, with the Wyvern flying overhead. The Spectre swooped down, narrowly missing Amber by a mere inch.

"Noel," Leon said angrily. "If we live, I am so going smack that head of yours!"

They ducked as the Wyvern made another pass.

"Well sorry for getting lost!" Noel retorted.

"Guys." Mary pointed ahead. "We can go in there!"

Up ahead was a large gap in a mountain of stone, where the entrance of a cave could be seen.

"A cave?" Leon was skeptical. "Are you sure that's safe?"

"Better than having a giant bird attacking us." Amber pointed out.

"Good point."

Then right before they passed through the gap, screams echoed out of the cave. They stopped in surprise.

"Did anybody else hear that?" Leon asked.

"Yeah." Noel confirmed. "What's going on in there?"

Then Soleil and the boy they saw earlier dashed out of the cave, screaming in fright. At their sides were a monkey with flames on its head, and a Spectre that looked kind of like a bug.

"Soleil!" Leon and Noel shouted, smiles on their faces.

"Rune!" Amber and Mary beamed.

"You're here!" Soleil said with relief.

"I'm so glad I found you!" Rune said. "But we have no time to chat! We've got trouble!"

"We noticed." Amber said, pointing up.

Rune and Soleil looked at the Spectre in the sky, and their jaws dropped.

"What the heck is that!?" He asked in shock.

"A Wyvern." Noel answered. "But what were YOU running from?"

That was answered when a screech came from the cave, and another giant Spectre scuttled out.

It looked like a scorpion, with a black shell etched with an orange flame design and sharp pincers that circled around a mouth with jagged teeth, from which lava leaked out of. At the tip of its long black tail was a red hot stinger.

"Oh god…" Leon muttered.

The Caster's Spectres were agitated. Ropup barked at the scorpion, while Burnape raised a fist at it. Flurrybird and Bubbleby curled up in fear, while Owlet hid behind a wing. Armantis, stood its ground.

Leon looked at the Spectres sadly. "They're scared…"

"Dang it..." Noel muttered, looking at their attackers. "If we didn't have that Scorchion with us, we might have stood a chance against the Wyvern…"

Then the Scorchion started scuttling towards them, faster than they would have thought. At the same time, the Wyvern began to descend.

"Run!" Noel shouted.

Everyone took off around the corner just before their enemies caught them. The path continued from there, and they made their desperate escape through the forest.

"So uh…" Rune stammered as he nearly tripped over a pebble. "My name's Rune." He jerked his head to the bug Spectre. "That's my partner Armantis."

"Name's Leon, nice to meet you." Leon gestured to Ropup. "Ropup, say hi."

Ropup barked happily.

"I'm Noel." Noel said. "My partner is Owlet."

"My partner is Burnape!" Soleil cheered, then looked at Amber and Mary. "Call me Soleil!"

"We're Amber," Amber began.

"And Mary!" Mary finished. "We're the Artegnan twins!"

"This is Flurrybird." Amber, petted the Spectre on her head.

"And I have Bubbleby." Mary nuzzled hers.

"Well, it was nice knowing you guys." Leon said.

"We're not going to die." Noel assured, and he pointed ahead. "We're almost home free."

Up ahead was a concrete bridge spanning a wide chasm. On the other side was a set of stairs that spiraled up the wall of earth that surrounded them. Beneath the bridge, a wave of fog hid the abyss underneath it.

"Come on!" Noel urged.

They weren't even a quarter across before their pursuers exited the forest. The Wyvern screeched and dived towards them. They quickly ran away before it made impact.

The Wyvern crashed into the bridge, breaking the part the Casters had just been standing on. Pieces of concrete fell into the abyss. The Wyvern, stunned from the impact, disappeared into it as well.

Leon looked at the scene in disbelief. "And there goes our other option…"

"On the bright side," Soleil pointed at the way they came. "At least there's nothing to worry about."

The Scorchion was scuttling sideways, apparently looking for a way to reach them.

Soleil laughed. "You can't catch us loser!"

Then it took a short breath, and let out a large ball of fire that headed straight for them.

"Oh no…" Leon shut his eyes.

"We can't avoid it…" Noel said in defeat. "We don't have the power needed to block that. We need advanced level protective magic…"

The ball was getting close.

"It's beyond our level of training…I'm sorry guys…"

"Amber…" Mary hugged her sister and sobbed.

The Spectres hid their faces and whimpered. Except for Armantis, who stepped in front of everyone and raised one of his arms, using his plate like a shield.

Rune looked at it in surprise. "What are you doing?"

It looked back at him, but he already guessed.

"You can't do that! You'll die!"

Armantis looked down sadly. The ball of fire was nearly there.

Rune clenched his fists. "I won't…" He jumped in front of him, and stretched his arms out. "Let your life be wasted!"

There was an explosion as the ball of fire crashed into the bright blue barrier that spanned the width of the bridge. Leon and the others looked at Rune in shock as he conjured the shield that protected them.

Rune looked at it with a tired surprise. "What…"

Then it disappeared, and fell to his knees. Amber and Mary rushed over to him and helped him up.

"Are you alright?" Amber asked in concern.

"Yeah..." Rune said, and shakily stood on his own. "B-but we need to take that thing out…"

Then the Wyvern screeched and spiraled out of the abyss. It flapped its wings and hovered in midair as it glared at them.

"Why can't we catch a break…" Leon groaned. "Noel, please tell me you have something that can take this thing out…"

"Hmm…" Noel snapped his fingers. "I got it! But first…we need to keep our target in place."

The Wyvern swooped down at them, and they ducked.

"Easier said than done…"

Noel looked at the stairs. "We need to get to the top."

"Alright." Rune nodded. "Leon, Noel, Soleil…the twins and I can handle the Scorchion. You take care of that Wyvern."

"Are you sure?" Leon asked. "This is our last chance."

Rune glanced at the scorpion Spectre, which screeched at them. He gave a soft smile.

"Yeah. Good luck."

Leon nodded. "You too." He looked at the Wyvern and aimed his palm. "Ignis!"

A ball of fire hit the Wyvern, making it glare at Leon and screech at him. He quickly took off, and Soleil and Noel followed. The Wyvern chased them to the stairs.

Rune took a deep breath, and faced his enemy.

"Amber, Mary." He said. "Are you ready?"

"We've got your back!" Mary stood at his left confidently.

"What do you plan to do?" Amber asked, going to his right. "It's too far way to land a hit. And even if we did, it's protected by that shell…"

"You're right." Rune put a hand on his head. "How do we break something that hard?" Then his face brightened when the realization came.

Amber looked at him curiously. "Did you find a way?"

"You bet I did!" He jumped and pumped and arm.

"Oh! Tell us!" Mary said excitedly.

"We hit it harder!"

"….."

"…..er…something wrong?"

Amber facepalmed. "Rune…do you have ANY idea on how much force you would need to break that shell?"

"We don't need to break the shell!"

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it! Even if you were to wear armor, you can still get knocked out without the armor even taking a scratch. We just need enough force to knock the Scorchion out cold!"

Amber crossed her arms. "And how are supposed to do that?"

"I may have an idea!" Mary held up Bubbleby, which looked at them with happy eyes.

Rune raised a finger "Uh…Mary…that's a bunny rabbit."

"Just watch what it can do! Do you have anything that can launch it?"

"Launch it? We don't have anything that can-"

Armantis tapped his shoulder, getting his attention. It held up one of its plates, and mimicked a shield bash.

"Oh…I get it." Rune grinned. "Okay! Ready Mary?"

"You bet!" Mary grinned, and placed Bubbleby on the ground. "Bubbleby, Ground Pound!"

Bubbleby bounced high into the air, and started plummeting back down at high speed.

"Armantis, Shield Bash!" Rune commanded.

Armantis positioned himself beneath Bubbleby, and slammed the plate into it. The pair of forces were enough to make Bubbleby go even higher, and it soared to the other side of the chasm. The Scorchion backed away as the bunny drew closer, and raised its stinger in anticipation.

Amber gasped when she noticed this, and looked up at her Spectre. "Flurrybird! Attack the Scorchion's stinger, quickly!"

Flurrybird immediately took off and headed for the target.

"Speed Slash!"

Flurrybird stretched out its wings and picked up the pace, until it was going at sonic speed, becoming a sky blue blur. It U-turned towards the stinger in a flash, cutting it off the tail. The Scorchion screeched in pain as its own weapon dropped to the ground.

"Nice one sis!" Mary praised.

"Finish it!" Rune ordered.

"Alright! Bubbleby, Ground Pound once more!"

Bubbleby's slow descent turned fast as it curled up again, turning it into a cannonball that plummeted onto the Spectre. The force of the impact was enough to make the ground underneath it crack.

Rune and the others waited for the outcome in tense silence.

Then the scorpion Spectre collapsed, out cold. Bubbleby hopped on it in triumph.

Rune sighed in relief and fell on his back. "It's over…"

"Not quite." Amber pointed out, and she turned to the stairs. "Leon and the others still have to fight that Wyvern…"

Three figures could be seen climbing up the steps, and the Wyvern was following them.

Rune glanced at the scene. "I hope they'll be alright…"

"If we can beat an armored scorpion," Mary said. "They can fight a giant bird."

"We'll have to wait and see."

"Wait a minute..." Mary looked at the other side of the chasm in horror. "My bunny is stuck with a vicious predator!"

"Oh boy…"

Amber looked at Flurrybird anxiously. "Flurrybird, think you can get Bubbleby for us?"


	7. Trinity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The initiation comes to a close.

"We're almost there!" Noel yelled.

Leon glanced at the Wyvern. "Uh...could you pick up the pace!?"

The flying Spectre took a deep breath, then fired a stream of electricity to block the trio's path.

"Jump!" Noel ordered.

They leaped up just as the attack hit the steps in front of them, causing a pile of dirt and stone to be scattered to the winds. Soleil and Noel stumbled upon landing on the other side, but Leon missed his mark.

"Aaah!" He yelled as he started to fall.

Noel dived down and caught him, while Soleil held onto Noel's legs.

"I gotcha!" He said. "Just hang on!"

Leon glanced down frightfully and nodded.

"Soleil, pull us up!"

She took a quick breath and pulled back with all of her might. The boys were now sprawled on the stairs, panting.

"Thanks guys." Leon sighed, getting to his feet.

"Don't mention it." Noel responded.

"Uh...guys." Soleil pointed upwards.

The Wyvern was making a dive for them, its wings outstretched.

"Run!"

They hadn't gotten far before it crashed through the stairs. Squawking in fury, the bird turned in a way that made its belly face the cliff.

Leon looked back at it warily. "What is it-"

Then it shot towards them, and the wings plowed the steps in its way.

His eyes widened and he quickened his pace. "Nevermind, step on it!"

Then the Wyvern swept their ground from under them, and they started to fall to the earth, screaming. Owlet hooted in alarm and quickly grabbed the nearest Spectre, Burnape. The monkey sighed in relief, but looked at his falling master in concern. They followed them as they fell.

Leon snatched Ropup during the fall, and looked at Noel worriedly. The blonde boy looked frustrated, and his fists were clenched. Soleil manuevered herself to be beside him.

"What do we do?" She asked hastily.

Noel glanced at the Wyvern, which was making a dive for Rune's group. "Gr-grab on!" He aimed his palm at it. "Fune!"

When a rope of light wrapped around the Spectre's leg, Leon and Soleil did the same, then all three were pulled along for the ride.

The Wyvern flinched and looked down at them, then screeched. It reversed its course, and headed for the top of the cliff.

"It's going to smash us into the cliff!" Leon exclaimed.

"Noel, do something!" Soleil urged.

"I...I don't know what to do!" He shouted.

Then three more ropes shot past them, and wrapped around a spot beneath the bird's wings. It stopped in its tracks, and struggled to fly up. The trio looked back and saw Rune's group holding the Spectre back.

"That was smart." Soleil said.

"But it won't work for long." Noel said gravely.

As if on cue, Rune nearly shot off the ground. Armantis quickly wrapped its arms around him, keeping him grounded.

"You mean Rune won't last for long."

"Gah..." Noel scratched his head. "What to do..."

Leon's gaze switched from Rune's group, to the bridge they stood on. He frowned in concentration, then grinned when a thought came to him.

"Noel, I have an idea!" He shouted.

"Out with it!" Noel begged.

"We're going to cut their lines!"

"Are you crazy!?"

"Just listen to me real quick! We just need to shoot some ropes at the bridge as soon as the lines are cut."

"What will that do?"

"Oh for Gaia's sake, Noel!" Soleil scolded. "Just do it!"

The Wyvern put on a burst of speed, and their friends down below nearly lost their grips. Noel held tightly onto his rope, and sighed.

"Okay." He obeyed reluctantly.

"Good." Leon sighed. "Just get your Spectres to cut the lines. Cast the ropes when they do."

"Got it!" Soleil said, turning to her partner. "Burnape, use Fire Punch on one of the ropes!"

"Owlet, use Wing Attack on the rest!" Noel ordered.

They immediately set to work. Owlet tossed Burnape at the nearest rope, and the monkey drew a flaming fist and hit it when he got close. At the same time, Owlet flew by the other two, slicing them with its wings. Then it dived down and caught Burnape as it fell.

A split second before the last rope was cut, the Casters shot more of them towards the bridge. The Wyvern shot forward a bit when it was free, only to almost immediately be stopped again. It screeched as it was thrown off balance. This was the chance Leon needed.

"Now!" He commanded, letting go of the rope tied to the Wyvern.

"You better not kill us!" Noel yelled, letting go too.

"Wheeeee!" Soleil cheered as she swung down.

As they went down, Leon shot another rope, which tied around the Wyvern's body, pinning its wings. Soleil and Noel did the same. It had the desired effect: The Spectre was being pulled down. But there was still a problem...

"We need more force." Leon said. "Ropup."

The puppy was curled around his neck, and tilting its head.

"It's your turn! Gale Headbutt!"

Ropup barked and leaped off of him, wind spiraling to a point around its forehead. Its rotation speed gradually increased, becoming a miniature tornado. The puppy flew high into the sky, turning around towards the Wyvern. Then it hit the bird's back with a 'BOOM!', sending it down faster than before.

It made an arc under the bridge, and reached the other side of the chasm. Leon and the others were now near the bridge.

"Let go!" He yelled.

They released their grips on each of their ropes, and began to fall towards the bridge. The Wyvern landed beside the Scorchion, which began to stir from its knockout.

Leon would have broken his back if it weren't for Rune and Armantis, who caught him just before he hit the ground. Soleil and Noel were caught by the twins.

"Thanks." Leon said.

"You guys are nuts!" Rune scolded. "Who thought of doing that!?"

"Me."

"...I thought Soleil was the crazy one."

"Hey guys!" Mary called, pointing to the other side of the chasm.

They saw the two wild Spectres trying to get up, but they were just too tired to get up.

"How's that for keeping it still?" Leon grinned at Noel.

"Not what I had in mind." Noel shrugged. "But that works."

"So what did you originally have planned?"

"Leon, Soleil. Crouch down and aim at those Spectres."

They did so, and Noel stood over them.

"Say an elemental spell, then the word 'trinitas' at the same time."

They nodded, and began to chant.

"Ventus." Leon said first, wind beginning to gather in a circle of light.

"Ignis." Soleil second, fire being added to the mix.

"Tonitro." Noel finished, lightning crackling in the center.

"Trinitas!" They said together.

A beam of light shot out, with wind, fire, and lightning spiraling around it. When it reached the fallen Spectres, it split into more beams that formed at net around them. It tightened up, then exploded in a shower of embers and sparks.

When it cleared up, the Wyvern and Scorchion were not moving. The youths cheered and hollered at their victory, giving each other hugs and high fives.

"That was amazing Noel!" Soleil praised. "What was that?"

"That's a special spell called Trinity." He explained, sitting on the ground to rest. "When the hearts of Casters are one, their magic is augmented into a powerful spell."

"So...it's the power of friendship!"

He chuckled. "In simple terms...yes."

She tackled him, crushing him in her arms. "Oh...we're going to be the best of friends!"

"Can't...breath..." He gasped.

Leon laughed. "How does that feel, Noel?"

"You too Leon!" She got up and pulled him over.

"H-hey! Gah!"

...

There was excited chattering in the dining hall afterward, especially when it came to the feats of Leon's group.

"Trinity? Isn't that a bit advanced?"

"That was wicked!"

"I wish I could do that..."

It all died down when Professor Dyke stepped up to the podium. The relics were lined up on a table beside it.

"To all of you students." He began. "I hope this has been a memorable initiation for you."

"Who could forget being launched off a cliff?" One guy shouted, much to the amusement of everyone.

The headmaster smiled. "But with this exciting day over with, it is time to begin the most important aspect of your initiation."

Their gazes followed him to the relics. He picked the centaur, and held it up.

"Dividing you into houses, where you will stay in dorms as squads of three."

They all looked amazed at this, and began to whisper to each other.

"Squads of three?" Leon asked.

"Do you think we'll..." Soleil stopped as Professor Dyke coughed.

"Settle down." He said gently. The noise stopped, and he continued. "These relics will determine your house and squad. I will start of with the ones who retrieved the centaur."

Leon, Soleil, and Noel froze.

"Leon Ellsworth, Soleil Copellia, and Noel Maddox."

They walked up to the headmaster, and bowed.

"From this day forward, you will be known as Squad Sagittarius, led by Leon Ellsworth! House Delta is where you will stay!"

Then everyone gasped as the relic turned into particles of light, and floated to the new squad's right hands. When the lights faded, a blue tattoo of a bow and arrow was printed on the back of them.

"Take your seats." Professor Dyke told them, and they did.

"Wow..." Leon whispered in amazement.

"We're a team now..." Noel muttered. "And you're the leader..."

"This is great!" Soleil squealed.

The headmaster held up the dancer. "Rune Maverick, Amber Artegnan, and Mary Artegnan!"

Rune flinched, but shyly walked to the podium with the girls.

"For retrieving this relic, you will be known as Squad Virgo, led by Rune Maverick! House Epsilon is where you will stay!"

Then the relic printed a tattoo of a crescent moon on the backs of their right hands, and they went back to their seats.

"Me...a leader..." Rune couldn't believe it.

"You'll do great Rune!" Mary encouraged.

"Just let us know if you need help." Amber said.

"Yeah..." He nodded, a small smile on his face.

...

After everyone else was sorted, Professor Cosmos led them to the back of the school.

The students marveled at the freshly cut grass. Standing parallel to each other were four large white houses, each with a black symbol over the door. Flower beds formed a box around them.

"Here are your Houses." Professor Cosmos explained. "The symbols show which House is which. Go to your correct one, and relax. Lights out by 9:30, and please keep your rooms as clean as possible."

The students began to walk to their Houses, talking excitedly.

"Well, our new lives begin here." Soleil said happily.

"But we don't know what may come." Leon pointed out.

"I'm sure we can pull through." Noel assured. "We just need to do our best."

"Well guys, I'm glad I got to be in a team with you."

"Me too!" Soleil agreed.

"I'm not so sure..." Noel admitted.

"You'll get used to things." Leon said.

"Maybe."

Noel stopped them once they reached the Houses. "Hey...how does it feel...to be seperated from your partner?"

Leon looked at his star, and frowned. "It feels...kind of lonely."

"For you too?"

"Cheer up!" Soleil patted his back. "We can always call on them! In fact, let's do it when we get to our rooms!"

"Yeah, let's do that." Leon agreed.

They walked up to their House, the one with a Greek triangle, and opened the door.


	8. Meet Squad Capricorn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The students of House Delta meet their Head Boys and Girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, finally past the initiation. I hope you're enjoying the story so far.
> 
> I may not be the best writer, but I try.
> 
> Now, let's get on with the show!

They marveled at the room they stepped in.

The walls were stark white, and had a few posters of sports teams and rock bands. A few black couches were carefully placed around the place, and a radio was on a square glass table in the middle of the room. A zebra carpet stretched to a kitchen that had a stove and refrigerator, with a rectangular table that seated four near the window.

Three people, two boys and a girl around eighteen, were scattered around the room, sitting on the couches. They looked at the students, got up, then stepped forward to greet them. Each of them had a red badge on their chest.

The first one to speak was a handsome young man with feathery orange hair.

"Well hello boys and girls!" He said with a grin. Then he pointed at a couple of girls in the back, and winked. "Especially you girls."

They sighed wistfully, and Leon rolled his eyes.

Then the second young man shooed him away. "I've told you not to flirt with the freshmen."

He was a Chinese guy, whose black hair was shaved to the point where he was nearly bald. A silver circlet with a ruby was placed on his head.

"But they're cute!"

"At least stick to juniors and up. You're Head Boy now."

Then the young woman cut in. "Guys, we have students that need a tour."

She was also Chinese. Her black hair fell past her shoulders, and was tied in a flowery braid. She was exceptionally pretty.

Most of the guys stood there with jaws open. Soleil had to punch Leon and Noel in the shoulder to get their attention.

"Of course." The Chinese guy turned to the students. "Welcome to House Delta, where you will live for your years in Magica Academy."

"Question." Leon raised his hand. "Who are you guys?"

"Ah, right."

The three young adults stepped back a little, then showed the backs of their right hands. On each of them was a tattoo of a ram's head.

"We're Squad Capricorn." The Chinese guy said. "I'm Lien Po."

"And we're your Head Boys." The other guy added. "Call me Warren Moon!"

"And Girl." The lady finished. "The name's Kimiko Sakura."

"It's nice to meet you all!" They said together.

After many handshakes and introductions were given, the Heads gave them a small tour of the House.

There was a plenty of rooms to hold the new squads. Each one had three beds placed symmetrically, with two along the walls and one in between them. A small shelf was placed at the foot of each one.

"Why not have a bunk bed to save some room?" Soleil asked, confused.

Noel looked at her like she was crazy.

"Do you have any idea the death percentage is for the top bed falling on someone?" He countered.

Up next was a rec room, which had ping pong and pool tables, as well as darts. There was even a small table with a deck of cards neatly stacked in the center.

"In case you get bored." Warren explained. Then his voice became hushed. "Don't play poker against Lien here, he's...shifty."

"Very funny." Lien rolled his eyes.

Then there was the laundry room, where invisible forces in plastic boxes washed and dried clothes, despite there being no electricity.

Curious, Leon opened one and peeked inside. "How does this work?"

"Uh...I wouldn't-" Kimiko began.

Then hands of water grabbed Leon and pulled him in. He screamed and gargled as water and clothes swirled all around him.

...

"Why..." A now soaking wet Leon groaned.

"I'll take care of it." Kimiko offered, flicking her hand.

A gust of hot air rushed past him, instantly drying his clothes. But it had an unintended side effect...

"Leon..." Noel and several others stepped back. "You might want to look at yourself..."

"What?" Leon looked at them.

Lien handed him a mirror, and he looked at his reflection. His face was completely red from the blow-dry.

"Can't I catch a break!" He yelled at the heavens.

...

After showing them the bathrooms, they went back to the living room.

"And that's it." Lien concluded. "I hope this tour was satisfactory?"

They all nodded, and he smiled.

"Good. However, there is one more thing we would like to do."

The students looked at him in a perplexed manner.

"Squad Sagittarius." He called.

Leon, Soleil, and Noel stepped up, a little confused.

"You're the students who used the powerful Trinity spell, correct?"

"Yeah..." Leon answered warily. "Why?"

"Well, we were thinking of making things a bit more interesting." Warren said.

"Your bond was apparently strong enough to create that." Kimiko explained. "So we wanted to ask you something."

"Will you do us the favor of testing your teamwork in a battle?" Lien finished.

Everyone looked at them in amazement.

"You want to battle us!?" Leon exclaimed.

"We gotta do it!" Soleil was excited. "This is gonna be fun!"

"It would be impolite to refuse..." Noel said hesitantly.

"Then will you accept?" Lien asked.

"Okay, you're on." Leon nodded.

...

The squads stood outside, staring each other down. A crowd had gathered at a safe distance around them.

"Don't hold back on us just because we're freshmen." Leon said bravely.

"You're going to regret saying that." Warren pointed out.

"We'll show you how it's done!" Soleil declared.

"Just be careful." Noel warned. "They're seniors, who knows what they can do."

"Are you ready?" Lien asked.

Squad Sagittarius nodded.

"Then summon your Spectres."

They held out their hands, and their stars began to glow. On the ground in front of them, Ropup, Owlet, and Burnape appeared in a flash of blue light. They blinked and took a look at their surroundings. When they saw their masters, they made noises of joy and went into their arms.

Leon chuckled and petted Ropup. "I missed you too, boy."

"Now, we'll show you ours." Lien said, holding his hand out.

Kimiko and Warren did the same. Then there was another flash, and their Spectres appeared.

Lien's was a dragon the size of a go kart, with black wings that were small and feathery. It's golden scales flashed under the afternooon light. It looked to be only a baby, with its beady eyes staring up at them curiously.

"This is Aurumagon." He introduced. "Say hello."

The dragon chirped a cute little greeting, and every girl cooed.

"It's so cute!" One cried.

"Um...does anyone else feel bad about fighting this?" Leon asked.

"Don't let appearances fool you." Lien warned.

"Hey, don't steal the spotlight!" Warren cut in. "Say hi to Scolamander!"

Scolamander was a lizard a little smaller than Aurumagon. It's skin was ocean blue, and a cream colored stripe stretched from head to tail. Small fins were attached to its sides. Hot water dripped from its body, creating a sizzling little puddle around it.

Leon and his friends stepped back a little.

"Okay, now that's a little unsettling." Noel admitted.

"Now for Kimi..." Leon's jaw dropped. "Wow..."

Kimiko's partner was raven about the size of a small child. It had a lime green plumage, with a bit of purple at the tips of its wing. It stood in coy way, covering the lower part of its face with a fan of leaves in its claws. The other wing was outstreched, and held a bouquet of flowers.

"Oh my..." Soleil gasped. "Your Spectre is beauitful!"

"Thank you!" Kimiko said. "This is Floraven."

Then Owlet suddenly glided down to it in a lovestruck daze. Noel's Spectre then tried wooing Floraven with a call, but the other bird cried out in surprise and slapped it back to Noel. He caught it, confused by what had transpired.

"Er..." He lifted a finger and tried to ask something.

"L-let's pretend that didn't happen, for now!" A flustered Kimiko said hastily. "We have a battle to start!"

"Agreed."

"Is everyone ready?" Lien asked.

Owlet shook its head, then fluttered to the ground, and avoided eye contact with Floraven, who did the same. Leon and Soleil's Spectres hopped beside Owlet, ready to fight.

"We're ready!" Leon confirmed.

"I should let you know something before we begin. Due to the academy's rules, magic is disabled when there is no teacher supervising us."

"Hey!" Leon stomped the ground. "That's not fair!"

"It would actually be more unfair if we did have magic." Warren pointed out.

"He's not wrong." Noel admitted.

"That just makes things more interesting!" Soleil's eyes seemed to blaze.

"Whatever, let's just get on with it." Leon said.

"Then on my mark!" Lien raised three fingers. "3...2...1..."

"Battle!" They all shouted.

"I'll take the initiative!" Noel said. "Owlet, take to the air!"

Owlet took off, and began to circle above the battlefield.

"Air support won't work." Lien said in a matter of fact way. "Aurumagon, jump."

The dragon hopped into the air, but didn't reach Owlet.

"Nice try." Leon chuckled.

Then to his surprise, it flapped its wings and got a burst of speed. It came up from behind Owlet, who turned with a hoot of shock.

"What!?" Noel said incredulously.

"Smackdown." Lien ordered.

Aurumagon then flipped so its tail would smack Owlet on the head. The owl Spectre crashed face first into the ground, and lay there twitching, giving weak little hoots.

"B-but those wings are too small for it to fly!" Noel shouted.

"That doesn't mean it can't provide a boost for its jumps."

"Get dunked on, bro!" Warren taunted.

Noel scowled. "This wasn't what I had planned..."

"We'll think of something else!" Leon assured. "Just go on the offensive for now!"

"That's my kind of style!" Soleil grinned. "Use Fire Punch, Burnape!"

Burnape screeched and ran at the nearest target, Floraven. Kimiko's Spectre chirped in alarm and frantically waved its fan at the monkey. A gust of wind picked up, and Burnape struggled to pushed forward.

"I got your back!" Leon said. "Tackle from the side Ropup!"

Ropup barked and began to dash towards Floraven, only to be stopped by Scolamander. The watery lizard flicked its tongue at the puppy, who yelped as it got scolded and jumped back.

"You're not getting through that easily." Warren said. "Use Water Gun, Scolamander."

"Dodge it!"

Ropup jumped to the side to avoid a shot of hot water and backed off, growling. However, the attack continued to fly. The crowd parted a little to avoid it, and the water splashed onto an unsuspecting Rune Maverick.

"Gah!" He screamed in pain as he fell back. "Why me!?"

"That's right, step off!" Warren Moon said to Ropup.

Leon looked at their losing battle, and sighed. "This is hopeless..."

"Come on..." Noel growled. "Think..." Then he saw the puddle of water around Scolamander. "Hey...I think I've got an idea."

"Then put your plan to work!"

Noel looked at his Spectre, worry crossing his face. "Are you alright, Owlet?"

Owlet picked itself off the ground. It was trembling from pain, but still looked fit enough for battle. It hooted in confirmation.

"Okay. Here's another chance." He pointed at the water. "Spark Shot on the the puddle!"

Owlet nodded and took to the air, spreading its wings wide as electrical energy began to charge from the tips of its feathers.

"Get out of there!" Warren commanded.

Scolamander leaped out of the way as six bullets of thunder hit the ground it was just on. Then electricity spread all around the water, and the lizard squealed as it was shocked.

"Scolamander!"

"Now that's strategy." Noel said proudly. "The water dripping from Scolamnder might provide a good defense, but it's also a weakness."

"That was good." Lien admitted. "But it'll take more than that to take it down."

"Think again."

Scolamander tried to move, but a spark shot out and it dropped to the ground.

"Paralysis." Warren informed. "You're a smart guy."

"Thanks." Noel said. "Now let's do this!"

"Okay!" Leon shouted. "Ropup! Resume the assault!"

Ropup dashed towards Floraven and smacked it in its side, making it fall to the ground with a cry. Then Burnape rushed in and jumped, its fist blazing.

"Don't forget your other opponents!" Lien warned.

Then Aurumagon dropped down from above, body slamming the surprised monkey to the ground. Then it hopped back, and Burnape got up in a daze.

"What!?" Soleil said in shock.

"Sun Ray on Owlet!"

The dragon aimed its face at the target and took a deep breath.

"Get away!" Noel ordered.

Owlet tried going towards the ground, but its injuries slowed it. Aurumagon then let out a golden stream of light from its maw, and it engulfed the owl.

"No!"

It faded, and Owlet dropped to the ground, knocked out. Noel picked it up and craddled it in his arms.

"Noel..." Leon said sadly.

"Do you want to give up?" Lien asked in sympathy.

"No, we're not done yet." Leon eyed Scolamander's puddle of water and grinned. "Soleil, aim some fire at the water."

"On it!" She replied. "Burnape, Pyro Ball!"

Burnape shook its head and set a fist on fire. Then it drew it back, and chucked a ball of fire at the puddle. When it hit, the steam started to grow.

"More!"

Another was thrown...then another...and another...

Soon, the entire battlefield was covered in a humid fog, which was what Leon wanted.

"Now's our chance!" He said with renewed confidence. "Ropup, use your nose to track Floraven and use Tackle on it!"

Ropup sniffed around, then caught a whiff of the bird Spectre's flowery scent. It growled and began to dash for it.

"I don't think so." Lien said.

"Get down Scolamander!" Warren yelled.

"Floraven, Wind Blast!" Kimiko ordered almost immediately after.

Then a gust of powerful wind blew from out of nowhere, and Leon's team braced themselves.

"What's going on!?" He shouted.

Then it stopped, and they looked up in surprise. The fog was cleared up, the opposing Spectres were gone, and Ropup and Burnape were looking around in confusion. Squad Capricorn was smiling at their opponents.

"Where did they go!?" Noel asked in shock.

"You think we haven't seen tricks like this before?" Lien raised an eyebrow.

Then the ground under Burnape cracked, and it looked down just in time to see a healthy Scolamander burst up and shoot it in the face with a blast of water. Burnape screamed and went flying to Ropup's side, and the puppy jumped in front of it protectively.

"Now!" Lien commanded.

"Petal Tornado!" Kimiko shouted.

Then in a green blur, Floraven shot past the two Spectres from above, and a cyclone of red and yellow flower petals lifted them into the air. They yelped in panic as they went higher into the sky.

"No..." Soleil's eyes were wide.

"And now for the finish." Lien said. "Aurumagon, Smackdown."

As Ropup and Burnape reached the end of the tornado, Aurumagon came down from above. With a flip, it slammed the both of them with its tail, and they plummeted to the ground. The resulting crash scattered dust around the battlefield. When it cleared, Ropup and Burnape were knocked out.

There was a stunned silence among most of the crowd. Rune and his team were behind Squad Sagittarius, looking at them sadly.

"They lost." He muttered.

"This was just..." Mary looked away.

"Brutal." Amber finished, putting a hand on her shoulder. "They were outmatched from the start."

Leon's team picked up their Spectres, looking at them worriedly. With sympathetic looks, Kimiko and Floraven approached them, but the freshmen stepped back apprehensively.

"What are you doing?" Leon asked, a hint of anger in his voice.

"I'm sorry for hurting them." Kimiko said soothingly. "I'll make them feel better, I promise."

He hesitated, then gently placed Ropup on the ground. Soleil and Noel did the same with their Spectres.

"Floraven, Healing Herb."

Floraven whipped her bouquet out like a wand, and a green light shined on them. In seconds, they were waking up and happily cheering at their recovery.

"Thanks." Leon said.

"I'm just happy that they're up and at it." Kimiko smiled.

"Hey." Lien approached them. "Sorry for the beating..."

"No, it's alright." Leon waved it off. "We shouldn't have taken opponents that were out of our league."

"I think we should get some rest." Noel suggested.

Soleil yawned and stretched out her arms. "Yeah, I'm beat."

Their Spectres yawned in agreement.

"It is getting dark." Lien glanced at the setting sun.

Warren clapped his hands. "Alright kids! Time to go to the bedrooms! Move it!"

Leon and his friends crouched down and looked at their Spectres.

"Okay buddy, get some rest." He told Ropup. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night Burnape." Soleil told the monkey.

"Take care of yourself." Noel told Owlet.

Then they reached out, and the Spectres disappeared in a flash of light. Then the students got up and followed everyone else to their House.


	9. The Growing Rift

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leon and Noel have an argument over the former's leadership.

Leon opened the door to the bedroom, and stepped inside. Soleil and Noel were behind him.

"Thank you for showing us to our room, Floraven." He turned to Kimiko's Spectre.

It bowed, then walked back to find its master, and Leon shut the door.

"Well, time for bed." He announced.

"I call that bed!" Soleil jumped on the bed to the right.

"Noel, which one do you want?"

"..."

"Noel?" Leon looked at him with concern. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Noel said, scowling.

"That tone says differently."

"Just give me that bed." Noel walked to the one on the left.

"Hey!" Leon put hand on his shoulder. "What's going on?"

Noel shrugged it off. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes! If something's wrong with you, then just get it off your chest."

"Fine." Noel glared at him. "I think you shouldn't be the leader of this squad."

Leon stepped back in surprise. "What!?"

"You heard me!" Noel shoved a finger into his chest. "Leon, a leader should know what fights to pick. Battling those seniors...that was an awful decision!"

"You said it would be impolite to refuse!"

"That didn't mean you should take the challenge! Our Spectres...our FRIENDS got seriously hurt because of your decision!"

"They're fine now!"

"So!?" Noel shoved him. "That doesn't erase what happened to them!"

"I'm sorry! Alright!?" Leon scowled.

"Guys..." Soleil spoke up, worried. "Just...stop it, please. You're friends, you shouldn't be fighting like this."

"This guy..." Noel gestured to Leon. "Is not my friend. Not anymore." He climbed into his bed. "Good night."

Leon looked away angrily. "Fine. Good night." He climbed into the middle bed.

"Good night." Soleil said sadly, before going to flick the switch to turn the lights off.

...

The next morning, they got up to find a schedule for their classes. After reading it, they headed off for their first period.

"So we have strange scedules, right?" Soleil tried breaking the ice. "I mean, Magical World History, Magical Combat, Divination, and Biology on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Then we have Real World History, Physical Combat, Algebra and English on Tuesdays and Thursdays." She forced a laugh. "I mean, it's so...weird, you know?"

They didn't reply, and she sighed.

"Can't you just forgive and forget?"

...

They sat in a bench-like desk that was big enough for the three of them. There were four other desks being occupied

"Good morning class." Professor Cosmos called from her desk at the front of the room.

"Good morning Professor." The class replied.

"Welcome to your first Magical World History class. Hopefully, you keep what you learn here in your heads." She glared at some students in the back. "Especially you, Cordell Irving."

Cordell instantly stopped snickering with his squad and straightened up.

"Now, here's a question for you all. Why does our World of Magic exist?"

Noel's hand shot up, nearly hitting Leon in the cheek.

"Yes, Mr. Maddox?"

"Our world was created to keep the dangers of our magic away from the Real World." He answered.

"Correct." Professor Cosmos smiled. "After the war between Casters and Sorcerers, the goddess Gaia combined her powers with the Casters' to create a parralel world that would allow us to live in our own magical societies. The dangers we bring is just too much for the Real World to handle."

As she continued to talk, Leon leaned over to Noel.

"Nice job." He whispered.

"Shut up." Noel replied angrily.

Leon flinched, then glared at him. "Fine, you jerk."

Soleil just sighed.

...

Breakfast wasn't much better.

Throughout the whole break, the boys were silent and giving angry looks at each other.

"Man, Magical History is quite interesting." Soleil tried to start a conversation.

But when they just huffed and looked away, she looked down sadly.

"Maybe Magical Combat can fix this..."

...

They walked along the top right part of the courtyard to their next class. What, or rather who, they found surprised them.

"Hello again, class." Professor Cosmos greeted them.

She was standing in the middle of what looked like an arena for gladiator fight. Blue banners bearing the school's crest hung around the place.

"Weren't you just teaching Magical History?" Rune pointed behind himself, confused.

"I'm also in charge of other classes, Mr. Maverick."

"Well..." Leon looked around. "What are we doing today?"

"Before we begin, I would like to test you." Professor Cosmos scanned the students. "ALL of you."

They all gasped in shock.

"WHAT!?" Rune excliamed.

The Professor smirked. "Don't worry, I won't get hurt." She chuckled. "I am a fully trained Caster, after all."

The students looked at each other hesitantly, then determination washed over them. With fierce battlecries, they charged at her. Fire, ice, and lightning soared toward her smiling form.

...

The students were scattered all over the arena, groaning. Some had their uniforms charred, others were wet. Some were twitching on the floor from their sores.

Professor Cosmos brushed the dirt off her skirt and huffed, apparently pleased.

"Well that was good workout." She said happily. "That was a demonstration on the capabilities of a fully trained Caster."

"Lesson learned..." Rune croaked.

"As a result of this episode, I hereby grant you the rest of the period off." She walked away. "See you on Wednesday!"

The students groaned in response.

Soleil sat up and grinned at Leon and Noel. "Well, that was a rush. Am I right?"

"If we had just hanged back like I suggested..." Noel growled.

"Like you could do any better from far away." Leon retorted.

"We could have just watched!"

"She would have came after us!"

Soleil sighed. "I give up..."

...

The Divination room on the top floor had all sorts of things that amazed the class. Telescopes that pointed to the sky, clear crystal balls that spun in gold rings, and tea leaves that seemed freshly picked.

But nothing was more amazing than the teacher.

"Hello class!" She called cheerily.

She was a petite young woman in her mid-thirties. Her golden blonde hair was long and bushy, and her eyes were bright blue in color. She looked at them with so much joy, it even made Noel and Leon grin.

"Hello Professor!" They all replied.

She twirled and winked at them. "I am Professor Stella Cresswell! I am your Divination teacher!"

She pirouetted to the telescope and flourished. "The stars..."

Then to the crystal balls. "The all-seeing eyes..."

Then to the tea leaves, where she spread out her arms. "The mysteries of space, time, and fate!"

The class just stared at her in awe.

"Hmm..." She frowned and scanned the class. "Something's not right..."

Rune cringed. "Okay, she's starting to creep me out..."

Professor Cresswell was on him in an instant. "Ah...Rune Maverick."

"Y-yes!"

"I sense something...interesting about you. I don't know what it is though..."

Then she turned to Squad Sagittarius, and Rune collapsed in Amber and Mary's arms.

"Leon Ellsworth and Noel Maddox..." The Professor glared at them.

"Er...is something wrong?" Leon asked warily.

"I sense tension, anger, hate. Something is up with you two."

"You're wrong." Noel said a little too quickly.

"My own intuition says otherwise." She retorted. "Now, I won't get into your business in front of the class, but it will get in the way of your synergy as a squad, and affect your grades as well."

"So..."

"Hmm..." She put a finger to her chin, thinking. "This..." She stared at Noel.

He stepped back, a little irked. "What?"

"Interesting..." She took a deep breath, then nodded. "Right, Mr. Maddox you will be going to Professor Cosmos. As for you, Mr. Ellsworth..." She tilted her head, her eyes unblinking. "You will go see Professor Dyke."

"Wait, why are you sending us to them?" Leon asked in surprise.

"Because I don't want any unnecessary trouble rising because of this tension." She answered. "Best to have you talk to the headmaster. And for the other to talk to somebody who can sympathize with him."

"It does seem logical." Noel admitted.

"Then I will contact them immediately."

...

Noel stepped into the Magical World History classroom, where Professor Cosmos awaited him. She sat at her desk, with her arms folded on the table.

She gestured to the chair in front of her. "Sit."

"Yes, Professor." He muttered.

After he was situated, she conjured a tea set and poured him a cup.

"Now, what seems to be the problem?" She asked.

...

Leon stood outside the headmaster's office, which was only a floor below the Divination classroom. The door was solid gold, with the crest of the school printed in blue.

He took a deep breath, then knocked on the door.

"Come in." The headmaster answered.

Leon stepped inside, and looked around the room in awe.

Being only a floor below Divination, the back of the room was entirely made of glass. It gave a great view of the fields in the afternoon light, and a town just nearby. Along the less fragile parts of the room were portraits of what could be assumed to be previous headmasters.

Professor Dyke sat at a polished black wood desk, and was gesturing to a cushioned chair in front of him.

"Sit." He said.

When Leon was situated, the Professor gave him a questioning look. The student looked down sadly.

"Mr. Ellsworth." Professor Dyke said.

Leon looked up.

"I want you tell me what's wrong, and I'll give you what advice I can. Is that alright?"

Leon sighed, then began to tell of yesterday's events.

"It all began with us being asked by Squad Capricorn for a battle..."


	10. Forgiveness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leon and Noel reconcile.

"And...that's what happened." Noel finished.

"Questioning your leader's authority because he didn't refuse a challenge..." Professor Cosmos summarized. "And it has caused this tension between you two."

"You're not mad, are you?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "As much as I want to be mad Mr. Maddox, I can't bring myself to scold you."

"Why?"

"Hmm..." She was deep in thought.

Noel looked at her in concern. "Professor?"

Professor Cosmos slowly opened her drawer. "Just call me Elise, since we're alone."

"O-oh." He shifted in his seat. "Okay. Then you'll just call me Noel?"

"Yes."

Then she reached in, brought out a photograph, then placed it on the desk.

"Take a look." She said softly.

What Noel saw was a younger Professor Cosmos. Her hair was somewhat unkempt, and reached her shoulders. She wore a pair of black frame glasses, which she pushed up with one hand, and had a somewhat shy expression. In her other arm was a black book.

"That's you?" He asked in surprise.

Professor Cosmos laughed in embarrassment. "I used to be...untidy back then. Just go on."

Upon seeing another girl in the picture, he was even more amazed. There was no mistaking the petite frame, bushy gold hair, and joyful expression. It was Professor Cresswell bending over and winking at the camera.

"You and Professor Cresswell were friends?" He asked.

"The best of friends." Professor Cosmos confirmed with a nod. "As you can see, we were on the same squad." She sighed sadly. "And our leader..."

He looked at the young man in the between the two girls. His hair was a darker blonde color, and was swept to the right, and there were stray curls among the neatly combed hair. He grinned mischievously at the camera, and had his hands in his pockets.

"Who is he?" Noel couldn't help but stare at the man.

"That's...Henry...Henry Bishop." The Professor said sadly. "Together, we formed our own Squad Virgo. Those days...were some of the happiest in my life."

"What happened?"

"Time passes Noel, and when that happens...friendships can be worn away. You'll be lucky to stay close with your friends when you graduate, as Stella and I have."

"But..." He looked up at her. "What about Henry?"

"He's...a Rouge now."

Professor Cosmos sat up and paced around the desk.

"It was so many years ago...when we found out what he was doing behind our backs, Stella and I were devastated. We confronted him, tried to reason with him...but he refused to listen. I had not seen him for years after that."

"Elise..." Noel looked at her with sympathy.

She turned to him. "Noel, from this first day...you reminded me of myself when I was younger. Your knowledge and practicality has such potential...but it's also what keeps you from being the most effective leader."

"W-what?"

...

"Do you know why you were made leader of Squad Sagittarius?" Professor Dyke asked.

"You said...Noel's knowledge holds him back." Leon said uncertainly.

"It does. Noel's mind is brilliant, but in battle...remember your initiation?"

"He...he had trouble coming up with another plan for the Wyvern."

"He had a strategy from the start, but when it failed...well, you see how he acted."

...

"Your main problem is that you fail to adapt to the change in situations." Professor Cosmos continued. "You are so confident in the most practical strategy, you don't prepare something as a backup."

"But Leon..."

"He might not have your smarts, but he excels at adapting to the change in tide. He can effectively lead a squad because of this, and take the big risks that have the high payoffs."

...

"Well...that explains my leadership." Leon conceded. "But my friendship with Noel..."

"All you need is an apology." Professor Dyke said with a smile. "And maybe some incentive, like a dessert."

"Do you really think he'll accept it this time?"

"Knowing Elise, I think Mr. Maddox will have regained his sense of reason. But know this: Friendships will always have their twists and turns. It takes effort to keep things stable, and if you leave one thing to drive a wedge...it all crashes down. So do your best to preserve your friendships."

"Okay..." Leon smiled. "Thank you, Professor."

"Just come again if you have anymore problems, Mr. Ellsworth."

...

"I said some horrible things..." Noel's head hit the desk. "Can he really forgive me?"

"Noel," Professor Cosmos picked his head up. "If you really value your friends...find a way to patch things up. Keep them from going down the wrong paths."

She started to walk away, but stopped and looked back. "Because when you fail to notice something has gone wrong...you'll end up regretting it."

Noel nodded. "I understand."

She smiled, then resumed her exit.

...

Leon exited the building to find Noel sitting on the steps. The blonde boy looked back at him, his expression cold.

Leon kept one hand behind his back, and looked away. "So..."

"Well, say it." Noel urged.

"R-right..."

Leon brought his hand from behind him, and revealed a small plate with a white cake, which was topped with a strawberry.

"It's for you." He explained. "Look, I'm sorry for getting our friends hurt. I don't want to keep fighting...so I hope you can accept this."

Noel stared at the cake for a bit, then he cracked a smile.

"I'm sorry too." He said, and took the cake. "I shouldn't have questioned your leadership. You really are great Leon, and I regret nearly causing our friendship to fall apart."

"Noel, I learned something today. Maybe the start was good, but what came after was terrible. We're lucky we managed to make up, or things would have gotten worse."

"Yeah..."

"We might have more bumps in the road ahead of us, but as long as we trust each other, nothing will tear us apart." Leon held out a hand. "So let's promise to always have faith in each other, and to make this friendship last forever."

"We have to treasure our friends." Noel grabbed it, and shook it. "I promise."

Then the door opened again, and the other students came rushing out from their last classes of the day. At the back of the crowd was Soleil, who stopped right there upon seeing them.

They stared at each other for a moment, trying to find something to say.

Then Soleil finally spoke up. "So...have you made up?"

"Yes." Leon answered. "And we'll do our best to make sure nothing else tears us apart."

"We're not just teammates." Noel said. "We're best friends, and we'll always stay together."

Soleil started to smile. "Guys..."

Then she gave a happy shout and jumped on them, and they went tumbling down the stairs.

"Ow!" Leon yelled in pain. "Soleil, get a grip!"

"Can't you ever avoid making us hit the ground?" Noel said with a wince.

"I'm just happy that you made up!" Soleil said.

...

"Oh yeah, tomorrow we have Real World History." Leon remembered as they walked to the Delta House.

"Like I said, it's kind of strange." Soleil said. "I mean, why learn about the Real World and Magical World?"

"So we don't forget that the Real World has its fair share problems." Noel explained. "And not just its own. Our world can have an affect on the Real World."

"And it's our job as Casters to learn about the worlds and help them, right?" Leon asked.

"Yes. Well...and there might be those want to settle in the Real World."

"Eh, I'm just excited for Physical Combat." Soleil said with a smile that made the boys edge away from her.

"Uh..." Leon pointed at her. "Should we be afraid?"

"Just stay out of her way." Noel suggested.

"I'm right here." Soleil complained.

Then they stopped when they saw some students gathering at the Delta House. Faint noises could be heard from inside.

"What's going on?" Leon wondered.

"Let's go see." Noel said.

They got to the house, then made their way through the students to get inside. Their jaws dropped when they saw what was going on.

It was a full-blown party, filled with drinks, snacks and loud music. Students were gathered inside, either dancing, hanging around in corners chatting, and just generally having fun. There was a banner hanging from the celing, which read 'SORRY FOR KICKING YOUR BUTTS SQUAD SAGITTARIUS!'

"What the heck?" Leon muttered.

Lien Po was there to greet them when they walked in. "Quite the party, isn't it?"

"Did you do this?"

"I think this violates the school's code of conduct." Noel pointed out.

"We asked the headmaster himself if we could set this up for you." Lien explained. "We wanted to give you a show of apology for what we did yesterday."

"And the banner?" Leon raised an eyebrow.

"Heh...that was Warren's idea."

"Well, in any case, apology accepted."

Then Warren came from out of nowhere, holding a can of soda and laughing.

"This is awesome!" He yelled. "Come and join the fun!" He looked behind himself and grinned. "Hello ladies!"

They all laughed as he went to go flirt with a couple of juniors.

"What the heck!" Soleil began to walk into the crowd. "Come on guys! Woohoo!"

"I suppose I could have a soda or two." Noel conceded, before yelping as Soleil pulled him along.

"Lien, thank you." Leon said.

"Don't mention it." Lien patted his back. "Now, how about we join in?"

"Yeah."

...

Up in Professor Dyke's office, he and Professor Cosmos were watching the sun set for the night.

"This has been an interesting start to the school year." He said.

"Quite." She agreed.

"I could say the same."

They turned to see Professor Cresswell skipping towards them. With a twirl she took a spot between them.

"Hello Elise." She said sweetly.

"Hello Stella." Professor Cosmos replied.

"Any reason for you to be here?" Professor Dyke asked.

"Well, I was wondering how the talks with the students went."

"They went really well. I think they will have made up by the morning."

"But that brings me to ask..." Professor Cosmos frowned. "Why did you send Mr. Maddox to me?"

"Hmm..." Professor Cresswell put a finger on her chin in thought. "I can't really explain it...but I sensed something special in him...something that made me send him to you."

"I wonder what that something is..."

"Whatever it is...it's something worth looking into."

"I'd rather not pry into a student's personal life, Stella."

Professor Cresswell shrugged. "Oh well..." She skipped back to the door. "But just remember, there's something special about him. And it might be connected to you."

When the door closed, Professor Dyke turned to Professor Cosmos.

"Well, what are you going to do?" He asked.

She sighed. "I don't know Simon...I don't know..."


	11. Rising Flame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for second period, Physical Combat.

The next morning, Leon woke up to find himself asleep on the floor. He tried to get up, only to suffer a headache.

"Ah..." He rubbed his temples. "That party really did a number on me."

"Is that you Leon?" Soleil asked tiredly.

He turned to see Soleil hanging upside down from the side of her bed, apparently just getting up. Noel was also on the bed, facing up with his head on her lap.

"Man...what happened last night?" Leon tried to remember.

"Uh..." Soleil put a finger on her chin. "We drank like...five sodas. Well, you and Noel did. I had way more."

"We got a sugar high..." Leon clutched his stomach. "Maybe that's why I feel sick..."

"Want to sleep in?"

"No...we still have classes..." He got to his feet. "Wake up Noel."

"Noel." Soleil shook the blonde playfully. "Time to get up."

"Uh..." Noel shifted. "Five more minutes..."

"We have class, bookworm." Soleil frowned. "So GET UP!"

"Alright..."

He sat up, his eyes slowly opening. He yawned and looked around tiredly.

"Good morning guys..."

"Hey sleepy." Leon chuckled.

"Wait..." Noel looked down, and his eyes widened in shock. "Why am I in Soleil's bed!?"

...

"This schedule is nuts!" Soleil complained as they had their breakfast after first period.

"I mean..." Noel nibbled on an apple. "Did you really expect to be exempt from Real World classes?"

"Yes! This is the Magical World! Why would we need classes from the Real World!?"

"Because we would be idiots without them."

"Personally..." Leon bit into his toast. "I don't mind. If we need the classes, then I won't complain."

"Hey!" Rune called.

He, Amber, and Mary walked over to their table and sat with them.

"Hello Rune." Noel greeted.

"Glad you two made up." Amber commented.

"Yeah." Leon agreed. "We won't let something like that happen again."

"So," Mary sipped her juice. "What do you guys think of the Physical Combat class we have next period?"

"I'm really excited!" Soleil said energetically. "I used to practice self-defense with my brother before I came here, and I loved it!"

"Oh no..." Rune whimpered. "Please don't pair me up with her..."

"Don't worry Rune." Amber patted his shoulder. "Anyway, Mary and I at least did some exercise here and there. So I think we'll be fine."

"You guys act like physical exercise is uncommon here." Leon pointed out. "As somebody who's from the Real World...just how is the physical education here?"

"To put it fairly, the schools in the Magical World do have PE classes." Noel explained. "It's just that Magica Academy only upgraded to a more rigourous course a decade ago. Before that, it was only elementary level stuff like jogging."

"I think this is why mages are renowned for being so weak."

"Shut up."

"Well, I fit the bill." Rune rubbed his arm. "I can barely do fifteen pushups..."

"You'll be fine." Mary assured. "If we can choose our partners, one of use can be with you. Then we'll go easy on you."

Rune smiled. "Thanks..."

...

They entered the arena, and found their teacher waiting for them.

He was in his early forties, with black hair in a buzz cut, and he was a figurative giant. He looked like he could go a few rounds with a professional wrestler without breaking a sweat. A black muscle shirt clung to his rather tough body, and he wore a pair of white shorts that matched his sandals, along with some black shades.

"Good morning class!" He said it like a drill seargeant.

"Whoa." Leon's eyes were wide.

Rune gulped "Oh Gaia..."

"Well...this is something." Noel said.

"He looks awesome!" Soleil said excitedly.

The students all walked up to him.

"Stand up straight!" The teacher ordered.

They quickly did so out of fear.

"Good." He began to pace back and forth, eyeing each of them. "I am Stephan Strawby, and I will be your coach for Physical Combat. Here, you will be practicing to defend yourself in close quarters."

Rune slowly raised his hand. "Uh...sir?"

"Yes Maverick!?"

Rune flinched. "Ah! Um...well, you see..."

"Get to it boy!"

"W-well, we have magic, right? So...why would we need hand to hand combat?"

Coach Strawby stopped for a moment, then began to approach him. The students gasped and stepped away from Rune, who began to shiver nervously. The coach towered over him, looking down with an unreadable expression.

"Say that again." Coach Strawby challenged.

"Uh-um...why would we need hand to hand combat...when we have magic?" Rune stuttered.

The coach took of his shades, revealing angry black eyes that glared at the boy. Rune was frozen, scared for what would happen next.

"There's always that one wimp who asks that question." Coach Strawby muttered angrily. "Maverick, give me three laps around the arena."

"Thr-three laps?" Rune whimpered.

"NOW!"

The boy yelped and ran to the wall to begin his laps, while the coach turned to the rest of the students.

"Alright boys and girls." He grinned. "First things first: Stretching!"

...

After a tiring course on stretching and other kinds of exercises, the coach decided it was time for the main event.

"With that over with, it is time to put you all into pairs." He announced. Then he looked at Rune, who was bent over and gasping for air. "Get over here Maverick! It's time for sparring!"

"C-coming Coach."

Once Rune was with them, Coach Strawby began picking out the pairs.

"Let's see..." He pointed at Cordell and Rune. "Irving! Maverick! You two are up first!"

"What!?" Rune exclaimed.

Cordell laughed. "You are so dead, pipsqueak."

They went to the center of the arena, and took their stances.

Amber watched with worry. "I hope he doesn't get hurt...too bad."

Leon frowned. "With Cordell as his partner? He'll get flattened."

"In 3!" Coach Strawby counted down.

Cordell smirked at Rune.

"2!"

Rune looked a little scared.

"1!"

He shook his head, and glared Cordell.

"Let the match begin!"

Rune yelled as he charged up to Cordell and punched him in the chest with all of his might, eyes shut tight. The impact made a loud 'smack!' that echoed around the room.

"Did that work?" Rune opened his eyes.

He looked at the uniform he was touching, then at Cordell's face, and gulped.

"That tickled." Cordell chuckled.

"Oh no..."

To the shock of the other students, Cordell kneed him in the gut. Rune clutched his stomach and doubled over, only to be uppercuted, and he stumbled back. Then Cordell kicked him straight in the chest, and he went flying for several feet before sliding to a stop.

"And that's it!" Coach Strawby declared. "Cordell Irving wins the match!"

Amber and Mary rushed over to Rune, who was in a fetal position and shivering.

"Are you alright?" Mary asked in concern.

"No..." Rune groaned.

"Cordell..." Amber growled.

Leon and Noel watched them sadly.

"That was awful..." Leon said.

"Looks like Cordell has his own playground." Noel said.

A growl made them turn around. Soleil was shaking, her fists were clenched, and she looked furious. The boys instinctively stepped away.

"Soleil...what's wrong?" Leon asked warily.

"That jerk..." Soleil said angrily. "How dare he hurt my friend like that?"

Then to everyone's surprise, she stomped over to the center of the arena.

"I'm next Coach!" Soleil announced. "Start counting down!"

"That's the spirit!" Coach Strawby said happily, raising three fingers.

"Aww..." Cordell chuckled. "The little girl thinks she can fight me."

"You're going to regret hurting my friend." Soleil muttered, taking a stance.

"3!"

"She's crazy!" Leon whispered to Noel.

"2!"

"I'm worried too..." Noel said.

"1!"

"But...I believe in her."

"Let the match begin!"

Cordell stepped up Soleil and delivered a strong punch to her face. His fist nearly reached her, only to be blocked by an open palm. The ground shook a little from the force.

"I'm not a pushover." Soleil looked up at him with blazing eyes.

Cordell scowled and tried to get her in the stomach, but got blocked again. Then he stumbled back as he was uppercuted, and then winded as he was kicked in his own stomach. He panted, glaring at Soleil.

"Come on, big guy." Soleil beckoned. "Is that all you got?"

Then Cordell yelled and rushed in to kick her, and she sidestepped. His anger came to a boil, making flail his arms to try to hit her. Soleil ducked, leaped, and weaved through the blows like an acrobat, then jumped up and kicked him in the face.

Cordell clutched it, screaming in pain, and Soleil took the chance to launch a series a punches on his body. Chest, shoulder, stomach, face. Cordell was soon hunched over, struggling to breathe.

"Is...that...the best you got?" He tried putting on a brave face.

Soleil clenched her fist so hard, her nails dug into her skin. Then she started drawing back, and it was like fire was being formed around it.

"Wait..." Leon rubbed his eyes and took a closer look. "Am I seeing things?"

Then Soleil's fist was surrounded in a complete flame. She didn't seem to notice this, at first. Then she blinked, and looked at it in surprise.

"Her fist got surrounded with fire magic!" Noel exclaimed. "I've never seen such a thing!"

The redhead then grinned, and unleashed her attack. It connected with Cordell's chest, sending him flying across the arena with a loud 'BOOM!'

He crashed into the wall, then fell to the floor. Everyone watched in amazement as something like white sand began to come off of his body, rising into the air and fading away.

"What is that stuff?" Leon asked.

"That's called Aegis." Noel explained. "It's a magical shield that protects Casters from harm, created when a Caster is born, or has unlocked their power."

"That's amazing."

"That was incredible!" Coach Strawby cheered. "Soleil Copellia has won the match! And for that amazing display of combining magic and might, I will give this class the next period off!"

Everyone began to cheer at that, while Soleil stumbled over to Leon and Noel.

"That was fun..." She said in a daze.

Then she collapsed, and they caught her.

"You were amazing, Soleil." Noel smiled.

"You really put on a show." Leon agreed.

"Thanks guys..." Soleil said with a tired smile. "Can you take me to the bedroom? I want a nap..."

...

The boys watched her curl up in her bed, and chuckled when she eventually started cuddling her pillow.

"She might end up sleeping through the day." Noel mused.

"Ah let her." Leon said. "She deserves it."

Then came a knock on the door, and they turned to see Rune's squad enter the room. In their arms were various sweets and drinks.

"Hey, guys." Rune greeted.

"Hey." Leon returned. "What are you here for?"

"We wanted to thank Soleil for fighting on Rune's behalf." Amber explained.

"So we got some sweets," Mary held up her stash. "As a reward!"

"Thank you." Noel said. "We really appreciate it."

"Hold on," Leon raised a hand. "We can't eat all of this by ourselves. So we'll share them with you. Is that alright?"

"Yeah!" Mary said happily.

Amber stifled a laugh. "I guess we can't refuse now, can we?"

Rune chuckled and nodded. "We'll stay. Thanks guys."

They gathered in a circle, set everything on the floor, and began to dig in.


	12. A Maverick's Struggle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rune Maverick is having trouble at school.

Three weeks have gone by, and Leon and his friends managed to settle into their schedules.

Though he liked his clases, he really did, the workload each day was something else entirely. And it seemed Soleil had it worse. At least Noel was there to help.

"Ahhhh!" She screamed in frustration, snapping her pencil in two. "Why did Professor Cosmos give us this!?"

"Look at this way," Leon suggested, looking up from his homework. "They're reviews for our first tests tomorrow."

"How am I supposed to remember things like...I don't know...which element another element is effective against?"

Noel sighed and got up. "Let me see that." He went over to Soleil, and began to look over her work.

"Um...how am I doing?" Soleil asked timidly.

"Well for one, Null doesn't have a weakness, but it doesn't counter anything either."

"Oh!" Soleil pointed out another question. "And this?"

"Fire counters Ice, which counters Thunder. Thunder counters Wind, and that counters Earth. Earth counters Water..."

Leon watched them with interest. It might have looked normal at first glance, but they looked comfortable, and even happy, like that. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

"And that counters Fire! Then Light and Shadow counter each other! Right?"

"Correct." Noel grinned. "You're really starting to learn."

Soleil blushed lightly, and giggled. "Well, I try."

...

Others...weren't doing so well.

"How am I supposed to remember all of this..." Rune whispered to himself, staring at his papers. "The towns across the continents...their founders...and WHEN they were founded..."

Then he got to the point with questions about the war between Casters and Sorcerers. His eyes stopped on one question.

Who was the general that led the Casters in the war?

Rune got a bit sadder upon reading that. "The one question I CAN answer..." He touched the locket that hung from his neck.

Amber's sudden call snapped him out of it. "Are you alright, Rune?"

He looked over to her and Mary, who seemed to be dozing off and resting her head on her sister's shoulder. The twins had decided to push Mary's bed so it was combined with Amber's.

"I-I'm alright!" Rune said with a fake smile. "Doing great!"

Amber looked at him skeptically, but nodded. "If you say so..." She gently shook Mary awake. "We need to work Mary."

"W-what!" Mary flinched, then groaned. "Come on sis! Give me a break!"

Rune slowly got up, then headed for the door. "I'm...going to the library."

"Okay." Amber said, distracted by her sister. "You need to stop slacking."

Rune closed the door, and the sisters' argument was a dull noise behind him.

"Why can't I do anything right?" He muttered sadly.

...

Rune entered the library, which was on the second floor.

Rows of books filled half of huge room, and near the entrance was the librarian.

She was elderly, and hunched over. Once dark brown hair had grown lighter as she aged, and she wore a set of black robes. She looked a lot like a witch from Real World stories. At least, Rune thought so.

He gulped and walked over to her. "H-hello?"

Her head whipped to him, and he stifled a yelp.

"What is it?" She asked in irritation.

"Uh...I need to find some books. Like, history books. And magical education ones too."

"Oh..." She softened up. "Yes, you can find what you need there..." She pointed at a row of books in the left corner. "And there..." She pointed at the middle row.

"Thank you, Miss..."

"Delilah Bridge. I'm glad SOMEONE came here for reading." She turned her attention to a group of whispering boys who huddled at the back.

"What are they doing?" Rune wondered.

"I don't know...but they've been coming here every three weeks since last year. Mischievous sophomores..."

Rune hesitantly began walking to the middle row, eyeing the sophomores as he passed. One of them noticed, and quickly alerted the group. Rune gasped and hurriedly walked through the rows of books.

He turned a corner, then leaned against the books, breathing shakily. He heard footsteps on the other side, getting closer and closer...

Then they stopped for a moment, then their owners began to talk.

"Sneaky little kid." One boy said angrily.

"Are you sure about this?" Another asked.

"I'm sure Carlos." The third said. "We can offer 'help' to those who need it."

Rune took a book out carefully, then peeked through it.

The first two boys weren't too special in appearance, with the shortest guy just having shaggy brown hair, and the Mexican one's being wild and black. It was their leader who was the most interesting. Wavy green hair with purple highlights, and a rather sly grin.

All three had a tattoo of a shark jumping out of the sea.

"We literally risk our lives for these." Said Carlos, the Mexican. "We cannot let anything jeopardize this, Verden."

"Let's see what Ferris has to say." Verden turned to the guy with the shaggy brown hair.

"Well..." Ferris frowned. "As long as we're careful, we can let that kid in."

"Then it's settled, we'll let the kid in our little secret."

Rune stifled a gasp and tried to carefully put the book back. But his hand jerked forward out of fright, and the book fell to the other side. The boys looked down in surprise, then up to where Rune was watching them from.

"Well," Verden smirked. "Look who we have here."

Rune could only stare back at him with wide eyes.

"Since you're here, I want to make a proposition for you. Do you need some 'help' for your tests?"

"Well..." Rune gulped. "I was about to study..."

Verden shook his head. "Oh no, we have something even better than books."

"What is it?"

"Now let's not rush into things, we need introductions. My name is Verden Reese, leader of Squad Pisces, and yours?"

"...Rune Maverick, leader of Squad Virgo."

Verden chuckled. "Well Rune, how about some 'help' with those tests of yours? I can guarantee a perfect score."

...

The next day, it was time for tests, and Magical World History was first.

Everyone was hunched over their work, while Professor Cosmos walked around and glanced at them. They were all quiet, and the atmosphere was tense. Everyone seemed to be desperate to answer every question correctly.

Well, except Amber, Noel, and (to everyone's surprise) Rune. The boy quickly wrote his answers down, glancing at the palm of his hand frequently.

Once it was all over, the students handed in what they had, and headed off to breakfast.

...

"I'm glad that's over..." Soleil groaned.

"Not yet." Noel corrected. "We still have the rest of our periods to go."

Her head hit the desk. "Why..."

"So, how do you think you guys did?" Leon asked

"Pretty well." Noel answered proudly. "Nobody is going to match my smarts."

"Um..." Mary pointed at Amber.

"I was a star student in my last school." Amber pointed out. "Just don't feel bad if I surpass you."

Noel scoffed. "Like you could do that."

"Well, I could never match my sister." Mary said. "But I think I passed." She looked at Rune. "What about you?"

"Oh! Uh..." Rune scratched his head, smiling nervously. "I think I did good. The library really helped."

"Good to hear!" Mary grinned. "Can't wait to see how we all fare tomorrow."

Rune forced out a laugh. "Yeah..."

Everyone else looked at him sceptically, but didn't say anything. Then a yelp from the next table made everyone else turn their heads.

Cordell Irving had tripped a boy as he passed by, and the kid's lunch was now all over the floor. Cordell's squad laughed at the whole thing.

Amber glared. "I really don't like him."

"Can't we just tell a teacher?" Noel asked.

"Guys like him just aren't afraid." Leon waved it off. "It's brute force that speaks, but we can't retaliate because we're afraid of trouble."

"Yeah..." Rune agreed solemnly.

...

After testing was over, Mary immediately went to her bed and flopped down tiredly. "My head hurts..."

Amber scooted up to her sister, and wrapped her arms around her. "Let's sleep then, I'm quite tired as well."

Rune nodded, then turned off the lights and went to his bed. But after a few minutes, he still hadn't lain down.

He turned to the twins, who were now fast asleep with smiles on their faces. A sad look crossed his face as he stared.

"So close..." He whispered to himself. "I know they said they would help me...but it seems like they don't even do much. They're just too distracted with each other." He touched his locket. "I'm such a disappointment...I can barely do a thing for myself...I don't deserve them..."

He slipped onto his bed, and started to drift off. But then yesterday's events crossed his mind, and he felt guilt wash over him like a waterfall.

Meanwhile, Amber and Mary were wide awake, looking sad at what they had just overheard. Then they looked at each other, and it seemed as if a message passed between them.

They nodded silently, then fell asleep.


	13. To Get Stronger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Following his test, Rune faces overwhelming guilt.

One would think the students would get a day off now that their tests were done. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. The next day was business as usual, and nearly everyone had a problem with it.

"I'm tired of work already..." Leon complained at breakfast. "We need a break..."

"While I have no problems with homework," Noel said. "I agree that a break after doing our tests would be good."

"Oh thank Gaia that I'm not the only one thinking that." Soleil came over with a tray of food.

"It would be nice to spend the day goofing off." Mary agreed. "Sleeping in all day, playing games in the rec room..."

"And pulling pranks on unsuspecting students?" Soleil grinned.

Mary laughed. "Yep, that too!"

"Please tell me that you won't target us." Leon scooted away from Soleil,

"Of course not!" She assured. "We would never target friends...I think."

"That's not really assuring." Rune pointed out.

"Whatever." She slid a carton of chocolate milk over to Noel. "There you go Noel!"

"Thank you." Noel was about to open it, but stopped. "Wait a minute..."

"What is it?"

His eye twitched. "The top of the carton is off center."

Everyone stared at him in confusion.

"Uh..." Leon raised a finger. "Off center?"

"It's bent Leon!" Noel shook the milk in front of his face.

Leon looked at it, and saw that the top of the carton was indeed bent slightly. This only made him wonder...

"Why is a bent milk carton a problem, exactly?"

"I pride myself as a student with fine matters, tidiness, smarts, dignity, and perfection." Noel explained, giving a the carton a small shake with each word. "I cannot, and will not, take a even a sip from an off center milk carton!"

"Noel, even though I can see where you're coming from..." Amber said. "That's...how should I put it..."

"The most ridiculous thing you've ever heard?" Soleil suggested.

"Yes, exactly."

Noel was about to give them a piece of his mind, then they heard someone shouting from the other side of the cafeteria.

"Hey! They just posted our test scores right here!"

They all started to head over there, but Rune remained seated. He lowered his head, thinking about his own score. It would undoubtedly be perfect, and he was guilty about why it would be that way.

"Rune." Amber called.

He looked up to see the twins waving at him. A crowd of students had gathered behind them, talking about their scores excitedly.

"Hurry up!" Mary called.

"Coming!" He hurried over to them.

When the crowd had thinned out, they went over the board that the freshmen scores were posted on. Squad Sagittarius arrived at the same time.

"Keep your fingers crossed." Leon said, looking over the scores. "Where am I..."

He found his name at the 20th spot, apparently having made an 80.

"Well, I passed." He said in relief. "That's what matters."

"N-no way!" Noel exclaimed. "This can't be!"

"What?" Leon smirked. "Got a perfect score, Mr. Smarts and Perfection?"

"No..." Noel pointed at the top score. "Someone else did..."

Leon looked at it, and his eyes widened. "Hey..."

Rune couldn't take it anymore. He looked at the score, and there was his name. A perfect 100, and it made him feel bad. His friends' comments only made the feeling worse.

"I placed third!?" Noel gawked. "I'm horrible!"

"Hey, you made a 98." Leon placed a hand on his shoulder. "That's only two points below one hundred."

"I was aiming for one hundred!"

"I placed second, with a ninety-nine." Amber noted, a smile growing on her face. "Rune! You..."

"First place!" Mary cheered. "Way to go!"

"Yay..." Rune said half-heartedly.

"Step aside."

A thick figure shoved everyone out of the way. Cordell Irving had shown up.

"Heh." He smirked as he took a look at the results. "You really are a nerd."

"What do you want Cordell?" Amber glared at him.

"Oh nothing." He turned to Rune. "Just want to...congratulate little Rooney here."

Rune cringed at the thought of a 'congrats' from Cordell. "Yeah, right. Like you would be that nice."

"Be careful, runt." Cordell frowned. "One bad step, and you'll find yourself hanging from the fountain." He walked away. "See ya, pipsqueak."

"I really don't like him." Amber said once he was out of earshot.

"We have to do something." Mary said. "We can't let him run loose any longer."

"Just let him have his fun." Rune slumped. "Not like we CAN do anything."

"Rune, he has been picking on you, and others, since day one." Amber pointed out. "And frankly, I'm tired of him thinking he can stomp all over us."

"He hasn't physically picked on me since Soleil beat him up during Physical Combat."

"True, but verbally he has. And others are suffering as well."

Rune sighed. "But...what can a weakling like me do?"

The twins took a quick look at each other, and slightly nodded.

"Rune, we want to talk to you tonight." Amber said. "At the arena."

Rune looked at her in surprise. "Wait, isn't that against school rules!?"

"We're going to get Professor Dyke's permission." Mary said. "I'm sure he'll let us do this."

"But...what exactly are we doing?"

"You'll see."

...

They went to the arena that night, and Rune was wondering what the girls wanted to do.

Amber answered that question. "Rune, we're aware that you've been having problems. Mostly with your self-esteem."

"W-what gave you that impression?" Rune stammered.

"Well, you have put yourself down..."

"And last night..." Mary looked a little sheepish. "We heard you talking to yourself. About how you're alone..."

"And that we've been so preoccupied with each other, we don't give the time of day."

"You..." Rune looked down. "Heard all of that..."

"Yes." Amber nodded. "And we also heard that you feel as of you can't do much yourself."

"So," Mary gestured to the whole arena. "We decided to help train you, so you can start getting better."

Rune started to shake. "Do you...think I can't get stronger by myself?"

The twins flinched, surprised by his words.

"Rune..." Amber was wary. "We thought...that you wanted us to help you."

"Well you're wrong." Rune looked up at them, a little angry. "Well...you're not entirely right."

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is...I want your help, but I don't want to rely on you to solve my problems. I want to be somebody that can be relied on at times of trouble." He touched his locket. "Somebody...that can actually stand up for himself and others when the bullies come for them. I need to get stronger...but not by relying on others."

"But why do you feel like you need to do this alone?" Mary asked.

Rune sighed. "The general who led the Casters in their war against the Sorcerers...you know his name, right?"

"Lucius Wade." Amber answered immediately. "But why bring him up?"

"Because I'm descended from him, from my father's side." Rune steeled his gaze. "For years, I've heard of all the great things my cousins and uncles have done, and even more amazing things from my ancestors. I grew up on those stories, and I hoped to achieve greatness as well."

"Then what happened?"

"I started to be coddled." He looked up, remembering his childhood. "I'm the youngest of four brothers, and the second youngest just graduated last year. They're off living their lives with adventure and heroism, and me..." He sighed. "I was just a fun loving child, the same as everyone, but..." He trailed off.

"Rune...is it...too personal?" Mary asked carefully.

He shook his head. "It's fine...anyway, my parents were starting to expect a fifth child by the time I was six . All of us were excited by the news." He chuckled. "I was about to have a baby brother..." Then he turned sad. "But the happiness didn't last long. That night...I can't remember much of it, but I know by the next day...my mom and dad were in tears, and they started coddling me. I was constantly at their side, and there wasn't much I could do because of them..."

"That's just...sad." Mary looked down.

"When I heard of the exploits of my relatives...I always wished to break away from my parents and begin to rely on myself for a change. Then my own magical abilities started to awaken. It was slight...but it was enough for me to enroll in Magica Academy. And even though my parents didn't like it, especially my mother, my father still recognized that I was starting to grow up. So he gave me this." Rune held up his locket.

"I've been wondering what it was." Amber said. "Could you tell us?"

"It was General Wade's locket, passed down through generations of his family. The fact that my father gave this to me instead of my brothers should have gave me pride...but that wore off once I got here. And the initiation just proved how unfit I am to be here."

"But that's not true." Mary argued.

Rune laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, I'm great at magic and my classes. But that's just my wish. I can't even cast an offensive spell without it fizzling only a few feet away. And most of them just leave me worn out. And I haven't been able to cast a shield since that incident with the Scorchion...Don't even get me started with Physical Combat..."

"Who cares if you aren't good with combat? You still have classes."

"She's right." Amber agreed. "A perfect score Rune. That just proves you can make it through this school, academically speaking."

Rune looked away guiltily. "Um...about that..."

They looked at him in confusion, and he sighed. He needed to tell them.

"There was this guy, Verden Reese. He...offered me his brand of help. All of the answers to the tests, with just a simple phrase." He held out his hand. "Magicus miror."

Words appeared on the palm of his hand, and the girls gasped.

"Rune...those are..." Amber's eyes were wide. "The answers to the test. How is this possible?"

"Magic mirror. It's what the teachers use to keep an eye on us. And Verden found out about it, and decided to use it to pass his tests. And I...agreed to use it." He looked away. "Go ahead, just scold me."

"Well..." Mary scratched her head. "This is...surprising. But Rune, don't let this get to you."

"We're still willing to help you." Amber insisted. "We'll just have to add helping you study to our list."

"But I don't want your help." Rune growled. "Don't you realize that? Do you think I like being coddled like I'm such fragile thing?"

"But Rune-"

"Shut up! You don't know how I feel!" His grip on the locket tightened. "You and Mary...you have such a strong bond. You always have each other, and I don't want to ruin that. I want to be a part of it, to have your backs while you have mine." Tears started to well up in his eyes. "But as it is...I'm only a burden."

"No you're not." Mary tried to place a comforting hand on his shoulder.

He shrugged it off. "Yes I am. From my grades, to combat, I'm just useless. What leader lets their teams do the work for them? So please...just leave me alone."

Amber hesitated, then sighed in defeat. "Come on, sister." She took Mary's hand, and tried to pull her away.

Mary resisted. "But we can't just-"

"Don't you understand!?" Rune interrupted angrily. "I don't want your help! I want to get stronger by myself! So just leave me alone!"

Mary froze, then looked down. "Fine..."

Then she was led out of the arena by Amber, leaving Rune to stand there by himself.

"It hurts..." He whispered after a moment of silence. "But this is something I need to do myself."

Then the star on the palm of his hand started to glow, and he held out on instinct.

"What..." He gasped in surprise.

Then a figure started to appear in front of him, coated in light. When it faded, Armantis stood there, giving him a questioning look.

"What are you doing here?" Rune wondered.

Armantis placed an arm on his shoulder.

"You want to help me too..."

Armantis nodded.

"But why choose me..." Rune touched the Spectre's arm. "You could have had a master that could pull his own weight...instead of a wimp like me."

Armantis tilted its head.

"I don't want you to think that because you're my Spectre...you get exempted." Rune pushed Armantis away. "Go away."

Armantis just stood there, staring at him.

Rune frowned. "Didn't you hear me? I order you to go away! And don't get close to me ever again!"

Armantis hesitated.

"Just get lost!"

The Spectre nodded slowly, then he was out of the arena as well. Rune just stood there deep in his thoughts.

Then a familiar voice snapped him out of it. "Well, that was quite the conversation."

Rune turned around to see Cordell Irving walking towards him.

"Cordell!" Rune said in panic. "What are you doing here!?"

"My squad overheard you and the girls talking about coming to the arena tonight." Cordell chuckled. "To be honest, I had my doubts, but here you are. And those girls and the Spectre aren't here to help you."

"I don't want their help." Rune stood straight. "I want to be stronger, by my own accord. If it's a fight you want..." He gulped. "Then...I'll face you."

Cordell shook his head in amusement. "Bravo Rooney, you actually got some guts. But I don't want to fight you. In fact, I want to be...friends."

Rune was confused. "Wait, what?"

"Well, 'friends' isn't the right word. Think of this as a partnership of sorts, with my squad."

"And why would I want to do that?"

Cordell smirked. "Because I heard every word of your conversation. Including the part where you said you cheated on the test."

Rune froze, thinking about what Cordell could do with that information. If he told the headmaster...

"Yes, Rooney." Cordell confirmed. "If I let this slip, you could be expelled. But I can keep this information to myself, on one condition."

"What?"

"You do everything I say. Plain and simple."

"I would never work for you." Rune glared at him. "So what if I get expelled? Not like I'm doing good here in the first place."

"Sure, you don't care for yourself. But what about your squad?"

"What does this have to do with them?"

"Let me explain. All of the students are enrolled in squads, and that comes with this condition. If one squad member is in trouble due to bad conduct, the others get the share of the blame too."

Rune's eyes widened. "Then that means...if I get expelled..."

"Your entire squad gets expelled." Cordell laughed. "So what are you going to do?"

Rune lowered his head, sighing in defeat. "...Alright, you win."


	14. The Sworn Shield

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rune begins staying with Squad Cancer, much to the surprise of his friends.

Cordell went back to his room in House Alpha, with Rune in tow. When they got inside, Cordell gestured to the rest of his squad.

"Well, meet my squad!" He announced.

The first to hop to his feet was a rather suspicious boy, with white hair that acted like a curtain over his eyes, with only tiny slits for him to see through.

He gave them a toothy grin. "Welcome back sir! And it's nice to meet ya, kid! The names Bennet Turner."

The second boy looked like he would pick pocket you if you weren't careful. His wide, mischievous grin, and unkempt black hair made him look like a street thug.

"Hello there." He made a show of bowing. "The name's Nail Jones."

Cordell stepped in between them. "And of course, me. Cordell Irving."

They held their right hands over their hearts, showing their tattoos. A crab, glaring at anything it faced, with a pincer acting like a mouth that grinned them with sharp teeth.

"We're Squad Cancer." Cordell said. "Welcome to our room, Rooney."

...

And so, over the next few days, Rune stayed with Squad Cancer, doing whatever its leader needed him to do. Whether it was setting up a trap (He felt bad about that), or cleaning their room. (Okay, that wasn't so bad.)

Rune's friends were shocked to see him working for Cordell, and the twins were dissapointed in him. And so, once Friday came around, they confided in the members of Squad Sagittarius at breakfast.

"I just can't believe him!" Amber said angrily. "All of that talk about being stronger, and he goes to do Cordell's dirty work!"

They glanced a few tables down to see Squad Cancer laughing at a student they tripped, with Rune nervously chuckling. He noticed his friends, and looked at them guiltily. Amber huffed and looked away.

"I wonder why he did this..." Mary said sadly. "This isn't like him."

"There has to be a reason why he's doing this." Noel agreed. "He wouldn't work for Cordell unless it was a desperate measure."

"Just have little faith in him." Leon said. "He'll find his way eventually."

"I don't get it." Amber rubbed her temples. "How can you still stick up for him?"

"Hey, I might be as mad at him as you are," Soleil said. "But even I know that Rune wouldn't work for someone like Cordell without a good reason."

Amber sighed. "I hope you're right."

...

"Hello students." Professor Cosmos greeted them when they entered the arena. "Today is a rather special one. Professor Cresswell has informed me that she needs some plants for her Divination class, so we will be taking the opportunity to have a practice mission."

Everyone whispered to each other, excited at the prospect.

"This is it!" Soleil squealed. "Time to test our skills!"

"I got my journal with me." Noel said. "I can write down everything we come across."

"Why do that?" Leon asked.

"We might need the information in the future."

"Okay, settle down." The professor ordered. "Now, as we are going out into the field, you will need more suitable garments to wear. So we have taken the liberty of sewing them for all of you." She looked at Leon. "Mr. Ellsworth, if your squad would care to demonstrate."

"Er...right!" Leon nodded.

He and his squad stepped up, and held their hands to their hearts.

"Now, the magic words." Professor Cosmos held up a finger. "Mùto Formare."

"Mùto Formare!" They shouted in unison.

Then they were engulfed in a flash of light, making the rest of the students gasp. When it faded, Leon and his squad were wearing something other than the school uniform.

Leon's was a black leather jacket, with green stripes on the sleeves, and a red 'V' at the back. Underneath it was a grey T-shirt, and he wore a pair of blue jeans.

Soleil wore a white training gi, with blue leggings underneath and a black belt tied around her waist. A pair of brown fingerless gloves covered her hands.

Noel had been given a set of black robes that reached a little past his knees, along with a yellow cape. He also had a belt, although this one had a sort of pocket on the side.

They all shared one thing: A yellow star symbol, the crest of Magica Academy.

"Whoa!" Leon looked at his outfit in amazement. "This is awesome!"

"I like it!" Soleil said happily. "Perfect for kicking some butt!"

"Uh..." Noel looked uncertain. "This kind of looks...off."

"Yeah," Leon stifled a laugh. "You look like a girl."

Everyone laughed as Noel blushed in embarrassment.

"Th-that's..." He gulped. "Don't make fun of me!"

"Okay, settle down." Professor Cosmos said, although she had a grin of her own. "These outfits were made for the comfort of the wearer, and they also lower the amount of Aegis lost when an attack connects."

"Huh, that's very practical use for..." Noel frowned at his outfit. "'Flashy' clothing." He spotted the pocket, and smiled. "Well, at least I have somewhere to store my journal."

"With that out of the way." Professor Cosmos turned to the rest of the students. "Go on class, change into your outfits, then we can all leave."

...

They entered the Evergreen Woods, which, according to Professor Cosmos, housed a variety of plants that could be used for medicine and divination. She handed each squad a slip of paper that told them what herb they should pick, then directed them to its location.

"And remember," She concluded. "There are Spectres that will attack you when provoked. If you find yourself in a situation that's out of your hands, you come back here and notify me. Good luck."

And so, Rune (now wearing a grey hoodie and khaki shorts) went with Squad Cancer to find Idun Apples, the Golden Apples of Youth, which were known for being an essential ingredient in many cosmetics, medicine, as well as being used in fortune-telling.

When the trees around them started to turn green at the leaves, Rune knew they were getting close.

"We're getting close." He noted. "Everyone knows that trees close to Idun Apples will look like they're in an eternal spring."

"We'll be hitting the jackpot!" Bennet (who wore a simple grey shirt, along with some silver armor on his shoulders) said excitedly. "Think we could take some for ourselves boss?"

"Sounds tempting." Cordell (who got brown leather armor over a white muscle shirt) admitted. "What do you think, Nail?"

Nail (who was wrapped in a black cloak, obscuring his whole body) just shrugged. That was a little odd to Rune, but he decided to stay quiet. No telling what the guy would do.

"Hey..." Cordell was suspicious too. "You seem a little too quiet there."

"Maybe he's just not feeling well?" Bennet suggested.

Nail nodded, and made a strangling motion.

"Oh, sore throat." Cordell said. "Maybe an apple would be good for you."

Rune looked ahead and gasped. "Guys, we're here!"

They had entered a part of the forest where all of the trees were in an eternal green. Wind blew past them softly, taking a few leaves with it. The sun was a golden glow over the area.

And there, in the center of it all, was a tree with pink leaves and solid gold apples.

"Okay, now how do we get up there?" Bennet wondered.

"That's easy." Cordell said, running up to the tree. "Here it goes!"

He directed the palm of his hand at the ground, and jumped up high.

"Ventus!" He shouted.

He was lifted up even higher, then landed on a tree branch with a huff. He turned to them with his fists on his hips.

"Who's next?"

...

Once they had picked a whole basket of the golden fruit, it was time to jump down. Once they were on the ground, Rune realized something. Nail was missing.

"Where did Nail go?" Rune asked Cordell.

"Oh, I just sent him to scout the area." He answered. "And set some traps in case some Spectres decided to come over." He noticed something out of the corner of his eye, and grinned. "There he is."

Nail stopped in front of him, and nodded. Mission accomplished.

"Good job." Cordell said. "Where did you set them?"

Nail pointed at a cliff nearby, and gestured for them to follow. When he got to the edge, Rune took a careful look down.

"Where are..." Rune blinked. "Oh, there they are."

Though they were faint, he could see the outline of a circle hidden beneath some leaves. A pitfall, for unsuspecting Spectres on the ground.

"So...what do we do?"

"How about we watch from over here, until the professor calls for us." Bennet suggested. "It would be fun to see what falls in."

"Good idea." Cordell agreed. "Let's just relax and watch."

It was then Rune noticed someone approaching, and he gasped.

"No..."

"Well look who we have here." Cordell noticed as well, and smirked.

It was Amber and Mary, wearing the same kind of dress that stopped at their knees, although they at least had different colors. Amber had gold, while Mary had silver. Both wore a bracelet with the school's crest etched into it.

"Turn away..." Rune prayed. "Please..."

But they just kept going, and were getting closer to the trap. He gulped as he watched them draw ever closer to the pit.

"This is gonna be great." Bennet said with glee. "Now we can finally put a sock in their so called 'perfect' mouths!"

"Come on." Cordell urged. "Drop...drop..."

Nail took a glance at Rune, who was frozen in shock.

(What should I do?) He thought desperately. (Can I really let them...)

He thought about the past few weeks. His first meeting with the girls, the times they hung out in their room, and even when they helped him with homework. Yes, they ended up getting too absorbed in each other...and yet...

(They still offered to help me...even when I admitted to cheating.) Rune closed his eyes. (But I said I would get stronger by myself, and then...) He scowled. (Cordell...this...)

Then, just before the twins reached the pit, Rune thrust his hand out.

"Ventus!" He shouted.

A burst of wind surprised the girls, and blew the leaves out of the way. The pitfall was revealed, and they gawked at it.

"What just happened?" Mary wondered.

Amber narrowed her eyes and looked around, until she spotted Squad Cancer and Rune, who looked shocked at what he had done.

"Rooney..." Cordell growled. "You little..."

Rune steeled himself, and turned to him. "This has gone too far Cordell! I will not tolerate my friends being hurt!"

"So you do have guts after all..." Cordell chuckled. "And I was looking forward to keeping you under my thumb."

"Not anymore. I am through with you."

"Big mistake!"

Cordell threw a punch at Rune, who gasped and held his hands out on instinct. He was prepared for a beating, but the blow never came.

Cordell was stopped by Nail, who had blocked the blow with his arm.

Cordell stepped back in surprise. "What...Nail!?"

"Why did you do that?" Rune asked.

Nail glanced back at him, then grabbed his cloak. With the sound of tearing threads, it was thrown off.

And there, standing protectively over his master, was Armantis.


	15. Strength of Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rune, with Armantis's help, stands up to Cordell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rune was one of my favorites to write. :)
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this arc, and everything else too!
> 
> Now here we go!

"No way..." Cordell muttered.

He and Bennet stepped back, while Rune stared at Armantis in amazement.

"Why, and how, did you disguise yourself as Nail?" He questioned.

The answer came in the form of a shout. "Hey!"

It was the real Nail, wearing nothing more than a white shirt and boxers. He stumbled out of the forest, shaking his head.

"I've been looking all over for you!" He shouted angrily.

"Where were you?" Cordell asked.

"That Spectre just snatched me while you guys weren't looking! Then it knocked me out and took my cloak!"

Rune glanced at his partner. "You did all of that...for me?"

Armantis nodded.

Cordell started stomping the ground. "That is the last straw! Come on guys, let's rough them up!"

"Yes sir!" Bennet and Nail said in unison, going to his side.

They held out their hands, and their Spectres appeared in a flash.

Cordell had what appeared to be a bear cub, with green fur and brown patches. It actually looked harmless, save for the sharpened claws on its front paws.

Bennet's Spectre was some sort of creature in a plated dome of iron. Though most of its body was hidden underneath it, the creature's eyes peeked out of the shadows.

Nail was partnered with a black, frog-like creature that glared at Rune with blood red eyes. Little spikes portruded from the tips of its webbed fingers.

"Terracub!" Cordell called.

"Armorillo!" Bennet said next.

"Shadrog!" Nail was last.

At the calls of their masters, the Spectres readied themselves for battle.

Rune flinched. "Oh no! What will we do!?"

Armantis stepped forward, and raised one of his plates. He was prepared for battle.

"You want to fight? We're outnumbered."

Armantis nodded.

"Then..." Rune took a breath.

He stepped forward, and took the same stance as Armantis. Master and servant, united as one.

"We do this together."

"Alright Rooney!" Cordell yelled. "This ends here! Terracub, Rock Throw!"

The cub growled and raised its paw. A ball of orange light became a rock, and Terracub chucked it at Rune. Armantis stepped in front of him, intercepting the attack.

"Armrorillo, Spin Dash!" Bennet ordered.

The creature curled up, and started to spin like a wheel. Then it shot toward Armantis at high speed. Rune took the risky option.

"Knock it back with Shield Bash!" He told Armantis.

It rushed forward, and slammed into Armorillo. They stayed like that for a while, each side struggling to overcome each other.

Cordell growled in frustration. "Enough of this. Nail!"

"Yes sir!" The kid nodded. "Shadrog, Dark Rush!"

The frog grinned maniacally, and was shrouded in shadows. Then in the blink of an eye, it was behind Armantis.

"Look out!" Rune warned it.

He stepped in Shadrog's path, arms outstretched. When the attack came, he closed his eyes, prepared for the worst.

'CRASH!'

He opened his eyes to the sound of breaking glass, and was amazed. In front him, barrier had appeared to protect him from the Dark Rush. Shadrog was currently struggling to break through, and Rune found his arms to be shaking as well.

"No." He pleaded. "Hold on..."

When the protection started to break, he started to panic. He pushed it, desperate to keep it up. He then remembered who was behind him...He began to think.

"A crazy idea...but it might work." He glanced at his partner. "Armantis, I want you to let go on my count!"

Armantis hesitated, but nodded.

When the glass started to crack more, Rune began his countdown.

"3..."

The cracks got bigger.

"2..."

A little piece piece of the barrier fell out.

"1..."

Shadrog started to push in.

"Now!"

Rune and Armantis lowered their guards, leaping to the side. The attacks they were blocking collided, and their users were thrown back. They flopped onto the ground like rag dolls, out cold.

"What!?" Squad Cancer was astonished.

"Boss, maybe we should give up..." Bennet suggested.

Nail sighed in defeat. "As much as I hate to say it, I agree."

"I'm still up!" Cordell said bravely. "Alright Rune, it's just us now! So don't hold back!"

"Cordell..." Rune glared at him. "It's over. I've won. Let's just stop before anybody else gets hurt."

"Haven't you forgot? I know your secret, and if you can't beat me here, your whole squad is going to be expelled!"

"Oh yeah..." Rune sighed. "You're right..."

Cordell grinned. "Then hurry up and-"

A roar from deep in the forest interrupted him.

"What was that?" Bennet asked fearfully.

Then a there was a 'boom', and the trees shook.

"Whatever it is, it can't be good." Nail stated.

"Be on your guard." Cordell told them.

The shaking got even more violent as the 'booms' got closer. Until finally, a huge creature leaped out of the trees, and landed heavily in front of Squad Cancer.

It was a ferocious looking beast, with a head like a tiger's, purple and leathery skin, and a lithe figure that still had limbs the size of tree trunks, along with jagged claws. It's body shook as it snarled at the three boys, showings rows of razor sharp teeth.

"W-what..." Bennet gulped. "What is that?"

"I don't know..." Cordell's eye twitched. "But I'm not afraid! Terracub, Slash!"

Terracub was currently whimpering out of fear, but it nodded and jumped up. It dived at the Spectre, and slashed its face with a set of claws. To everyone's surprise, it didn't even flinch. Instead, it roared in fury and shot Terracub with a blast of purple energy. The poor cub was shot higher into the air, and over the trees.

"Terracub!" Cordell yelled, running into the woods.

"Let's split too Nail!" Bennet called his partner back, then followed.

"Wait for me!" Nail did the same.

That left Rune and Armantis with the beast.

"Oh Gaia..." He backed away.

The beast turned to him, and roared. That's when the boy screamed and ran. The beast chased after him.

"Armantis!" Rune called desperately.

His partner leaped into action, spinning like a top and slicing the creature. But it didn't do a thing, and it only served to draw the beast's attention. It turned to Armantis, and swung with its claws. The bug Spectre brought its plates up, but it was no use.

Armantis went flying back to the edge of the cliff. It stopped just short of slipping down, and didn't move again. White sand started to drift off of its body. Its Aegis was depleted.

Rune was frozen in shock, and the beast still had its sights on his partner. It slowly approached, and all he could do was watch.

"Armantis..." He muttered.

The beast now stood over its prey, and started sniffing it.

"Please..."

It raised a paw, ready to cut it into tasty bits.

"Noooo!"

"Ground Pound!" Came a familiar from the forest.

"What!?" Rune exclaimed.

Then the beast stopped as something small and furry slammed onto its back. The thing rocketed backwards, and landed in front of Rune. He couldn't believe his eyes, it was...

"Bubbleby!?"

Then he looked towards the source of the voice, and started to smile.

"Rune!" Mary called, running toward him.

"Are you alright?" Amber was with her, although still a little mad. Flurrybird was perched on her head, as usual.

"Yes." He answered. He looked down. "Look guys, I just want to say...I'm sorry. I only-"

Amber cupped his mouth. "You can explain later. We have something else to deal with."

She turned to the beast, which had diverted its attention to them. It appeared to be sizing them up.

"That's a Behemoth. One of the stronger Spectres in the world, rank A to be exact."

"No wonder it's so powerful." Rune said.

"It certainly wouldn't be wise to fight it."

"But Armantis..." Mary looked at it in concern.

"You're right..." Rune sighed. "Well then..." He steeled himself. "Then let's fight to save him!"

"Okay!" Mary grinned. "It's time to be heroes!"

Amber rolled her eyes, but smiled. "There's no stopping you."

"Are you ready guys?" Rune asked.

"Yeah!" They cheered.

"Don't you even dare!" Came a harsh voice from the side.

They flinched as a worried, but slightly angry Professor Cosmos came walking up to them.

"Um..." Rune gave a nervous smile. "Professor..."

"You think..." She said in a low voice. "That you can take on this sort of beast."

"But it's for my Spectre!"

She looked around, until she noticed Armantis on the ground behind the Behemoth, which was still surveying the newcomers.

"I see...Well," She smiled. "Students of your grade can't take a Behemoth on alone. So allow me to assist you."

"You would really do that!?" Mary said excitedly.

"It is an honor." Amber agreed. "Thank you."

"Then let's not waste any time." Professor Cosmos frowned. "But...something feels off..."

The Behemoth chose that moment to leap at the group. Everyone dived out of the way as it came down, swinging in a wide arc.

"Hit it with everything you've got!" Rune yelled.

"Aqua!" Mary shouted.

"Glacies!" Amber said right after.

A sphere of water splashed into the Behemoth's right flank, while an icicle crashed into the left. The beast didn't seem to be affected, however. It turned to Mary, and lunged. She got out of the way, and tossed Bubbleby as high as it could go.

"Ground Pound!" She ordered.

Bubbleby dropped down on the Behemoth's head, and it roared in pain. It stumbled back and forth, dazed. It was then that Professor Cosmos noticed something.

"Students, look at its right paw!" She pointed.

There, stuck in the creature's paw, was a rathar big thorn. Apparently, it was causing it a lot of pain and discomfort.

"I knew there was something wrong. Normally, Behemoth's are docile creatures, unless provoked."

"And the thorn must have caused it to go berserk due to pain." Amber guessed.

"Correct, Miss Artegnan."

"Is there a way to pull it out?" Mary asked.

"I don't know." Professor Cosmos admitted. "To get so close to a Behemoth in a frenzy...it would be suicide."

"Unless we can immobilize it first." Rune said.

"Oh, I see where this is going." The professor smiled. "Alright, I think it's time I let MY Spectre out to play!"

She raised her hand, and there was a blast of light in the sky. Then a giant figure came bursting from it, and came to a stop behind her. The light faded, and there was her Spectre.

It was like a bat, with leathery gold wings attached to a slim body, which was extended by a blue tail that had a ball at the end. The rest of the creature was white, and its eyes were blue like the ocean.

"Whoa..." Rune breathed out.

"Students," Professor Cosmos stroked the creature's head when it leaned over. "Meet Valefor."

The Behemoth shook off its daze, and turned to meet the new Spectre. It growled and crouched low.

"Valefor, prepare for battle." Professor Cosmos commanded.

Valefor nodded, and jumped in front of the Behemoth. Then the two creatures stared each other down, and waited.

The Behemoth struck first, using its energy blast on Valefor, who leaned out of the way.

"Use Sparkle Ray!" Professor Cosmos ordered.

Valefor then took to the air, and spread its wings. A circle formed around it, then a beam of light shot toward the Behemoth. It hit the beast's forehead, and it staggered back.

"Lunar Assault!"

Valefor dived down at high speed, gently making an upward arc. It slammed into the Behemoth's chest, and the creature roared as it fell onto its back.

"Now it's my turn!"

Professor Cosmos thrust her hand at the beast, and icicles started to pop up all over it. Soon, it was completely encased in the stuff.

"And now," She raised her hand. "I can finish this."

"Wait." Rune cut in. "Let us handle this."

"Oh..." She nodded reluctantly. "Sure...Mr. Maverick."

Then he and the twins stepped forward. The girls crouched down, while he stood between them, and they all aimed their palms forward.

"Amber..." Rune said. "Mary...I just want to say...I'm sorry for that night."

"Rune..." Mary looked up at him.

"I just..." Amber scowled. "Can't believe that you would go to Cordell. Do you have any idea how hurt we were?"

"I know." He sighed. "But I only did it because..." He looked at Professor Cosmos, and sighed. "Because Cordell heard us talking that night. About me...and the way I cheated on the test."

The professor raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment.

"So, what would he have done with that information?" Amber asked.

"He would have told the headmaster, and I would have gotten expelled. But I didn't even care about that. Then he said you would have gotten expelled too.."

"So that means..." Amber's eyes widened.

"You put up with Cordell to save us." Mary started tearing up. "Oh Rune..."

"And after putting you through so much sadness..." Rune looked at Amber, then at Mary. "I just hope that you can forgive me."

"Rune..." Amber smiled. "Yes, we will."

"So..." Mary sniffed. "Are we a full squad again?"

"Yes, sister."

"Guys," Rune smiled. "Thank you." He looked at the still frozen Behemoth. "Now, let's finish this together." He closed his eyes. "Lux."

A circle appeared in front of them, with light charging at its center.

"Glacies." Amber chanted.

Ice crystals started to swirl in the circle.

"Aqua." Mary said.

Water went into the mix.

"Trinitas!" They shouted in unisom.

A swirling beam of light, ice, and water shot toward the Behemoth. It wrapped around the frozen creature like a lasso, and tightened up. Then it exploded in a shower of light particles, raindrops, and ice pellets. The Behemoth was now unconcious, and wouldn't be getting up for a while.

Professor Cosmos started clapping. "Bravo children! Bravo!"

Rune sighed tiredly, and fell to his knees. Mary sat on the ground, and even Amber was hunched over.

"We did it." She weakly raised a fist.

"W-wait!" Rune began to crawl forward, as his vision started to blur. "Ar...mantis..."

Then everything went black.

...

He woke up to something poking his cheek.

"Ugh..." He blinked. "Wha..."

There was Mary, laying on her side, looking at him with a smile on her face.

"Glad you're awake!" She said.

"Ah...hey Mary." He froze. "Wait..."

He scrambled off the bed, accidently throwing Mary off, and looked around wildly. There was Amber on her and Mary's shared spot, smiling in amusement. Everyone was in their uniforms, in their bedroom, with no scary Behemoth in sight.

"What happened?" Rune wondered.

"Professor Cosmos took the thorn out of the Behemoth's paw." Amber explained. "Then we carried you all the way back here. You've been out for a while, Biology just ended a few minutes ago."

"Ah..." He gasped. "Wait, where's Armantis?"

"Safe and sound." Mary said, sitting up. "He was sent back to...wherever Spectres stay when Casters don't need them. He did leave something for you though."

Then she pulled a round object from her pocket, and held it out to Rune. He took the thing, and examined it.

It was sticker, depicting a boy smiling and saying 'Thank You!'

Rune chuckled. "You're welcome, Armantis. And thank you. See you soon."

"And by the way, Cordell had something to say to you." Amber said.

"What was it?"

"He said 'Not bad Rooney. You've got a lot of guts. See you around.'"

...

Up in Professor Dyke's office, Professor Cosmos was pacing back and forth. The headmaster watched her from behind his desk.

"To think, he cheated!" She muttered. "Why, he should be expelled!"

"But think of the circumstances, Elise." He said calmly. "He was struggling, it was only natural to resort to that. And he regretted it in the end, and will never do it again."

"But still, we have to do SOMETHING."

"But not if it ends up punishing his teammates as well. I think what he experienced today was enough punishment for his actions."

"I..." Professor Cosmos sighed. "I suppose you're right Simon."

"Thank you." Professor Dyke smiled. "Mr. Maverick has grown up a lot, thanks to the recent events."

"I suppose that's true. Why, compared to his first day, he's even braver now. And his bond with his squad is even stronger."

"The strength of heart is a curious thing. When pushed to his limits, a man can do the most extraordinary things. That is what makes a true hero."

He stood up, and walked to his window. Professor Cosmos followed, and they gazed at the setting sun together.


	16. A Festival Fiasco

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new tradition begins for the World of Magic.

The weeks passed, and the students enjoyed their time at the academy. Well, for the most part. Then things started getting stagnant...and boring. Even Soleil stopped having fun with combat classes. (Which was to Leon and Noel's relief.)

That all changed when Professor Cosmos made a special announcement at breakfast.

"Attention students!" She called.

They all looked at her with curiosity. What could she possibly be talking about?

"We all know that you've been...frustrated, these past few days."

"We're bored!" Verden Reese yelled from the back of the room.

She winced. "Quite." She regained her composure. "So I just wanted to remind you that Halloween is coming up in a week."

This got everyone excited, and they started whispering to each other. This got Leon a bit confused.

"I don't get it." He told Noel. "I know it's Halloween and all...but why's everyone so excited?"

"Because the academy doesn't normally celebrate that." Noel answered. "It's just business as usual on that day."

"Huh..." Leon frowned at the thought. "That sucks. But...why would Professor Cosmos make an announcement for Halloween?"

"Settle down!" The professor called.

The whispering slowly quieted down, until all of the students were silent.

Professor Cosmos sighed tiredly, and put her fingertips on her forehead. "Okay...Now that everyone's in order." She smiled happily. "I am excited to announce that Magica Academy will be having its first Halloween Festival!"

That sent everyone into a frenzy. Cheers and claps filled the room, with enough noise to hurt a few people's ears.

"Ah!" Leon put his fingers in his ears. "What the heck!?"

"Woohoo!" Soleil cheered, hopping onto Noel's back. "Lift me up Noel! I want the whole school to hear my shouts!"

"S-Soleil! Get off!" Noel protested, trying his best to not fall over. "This is blatant disrespect for personal space!"

"Students!" Professor Cosmos shouted angrily. "Behave yourselves!"

Then a fireball flew towards her, and she flicked it away. That was the last straw, she was furious now.

"Enough!"

She raised her hand, and storm clouds appeared above the students' heads. That broke a few out of their reverie, and they looked up in confusion. But Leon knew what was coming.

He sighed and shook his head. "Here we go."

"W-wait." Rune stammered. "What's going-"

Then everyone was doused as the clouds spilled out a heavy rain. Nearly everyone shrieked in surprise, and even a few girls started crying as their hair got ruined. Then after a moment, the rain turned into a drizzle. It completely dried up a few seconds after.

"Okay..." Professor Cosmos sighed. "Now, we will be staying in the town of Magica, where the festival will be held. During that time, we will be helping with preparations." She narrowed her eyes. "And I expect you to be on your best behavior."

"Yes, Professor..." Everyone said solemnly.

"Well, before we leave, you should all change." She smiled innocently. "You're all soaking wet."

Leon spit out water like a fountain. "No thanks to you."

"What was that, Mr. Ellsworth?" Her head whipped to his direction.

"N-nothing!"

...

Once everyone had changed into dry uniforms, they met Professor Cosmos at the gates. Then they began walking to Magica. Along the way, Leon brought up something he was thinking about.

"So tell me," He began. "What's it like to live in a family full of Casters? Is it any different from a...normal family?"

"Of course it is!" Soleil said excitedly, leaning over to Leon. "It's super fun and chaotic! At least, for me." She shook her head, then glanced at Noel. "Say, what's..." She stopped walking. "Your home like..."

Leon stopped and took a look at his friend. Noel was looking at the ground, and his expression was filled with longing.

"Noel..." Leon said carefully. "What's wrong?"

"It's just...what you said about family." Noel said sadly. "I've never really had one...a real one, to be exact."

"Wait, so you're...an orphan?" Soleil looked at him with sympathy.

"FORMERLY an orphan. I was adopted about a year ago." He looked up at the sky. "I never knew my real family...I was told that I was found on the doorstep, on a rainy night."

"There wasn't a note?" Leon asked.

Noel sighed, and looked down again. "Not even...Nobody knew what to call me. So I picked a name for myself, once I learned to talk. 'Noel' is just a name I came up with. It's not who I really am." He brought a hand to his right eye. "Even my eyes are fake...I just wanted to make myself up."

"Just because you made up things for yourself, doesn't mean it isn't who you are." Leon put a hand on his shoulder. "The Noel I know is a bookworm, a brilliant student who strives for perfection, and someone who has a successful future ahead of him."

"Leon..." Noel started shaking. "Do you really think that?"

"Of course I do."

"Me too!" Soleil agreed, bending over to look up at Noel. "And you're also someone who can be quite crabby!"

"And even get into little temper tantrums." Leon added with an amused smile.

Noel's head snapped up to look at him in fury. "What!? I do not!"

He was surprised when they started laughing.

"Ha ha ha!" Leon doubled over. "Now THAT's the Noel all we know!"

"And love!" Soleil added with a wink.

"Guys..." Noel started to smile. "Thank you..." Then he sighed. "But still...I wonder if it's who I really am."

"Squad Sagittarius!" Professor Cosmos called from way ahead of them. "I was wondering where you went!"

"Sorry, Professor!" Leon yelled back. "Come on guys." He began running towards her.

Right before she left, Soleil put a hand on Noel's shoulder. "We'll speak about this later, alright?" Then she grinned. "For now, let's just have fun!"

Noel stood there for a moment, watching her jog over to Leon. Then he shook his head, and followed her.

...

"Wow." Leon gasped.

The town of Magica was an amazing sight. There were a wide variety of homes that ranged from normal and cozy, to outright ridiculous.

It appeared as if everything had sections, split up by roads. Straight ahead, there was what appeared to be a power plant. What was strange about that area? There air was completely clean, with no smoke in the air. Leon wondered what exactly produced the energy here.

To his left was the market, and the giant loaf of bread was probably a bakery. A cupcake stood beside it, so that might have been a sweets shop. Then there was produce (A peach, really?), and dairy (A milk bottle).

To his right, there were buildings that offered all sorts of services. A salon (Which was a container of gel, how nice), then a gym (A stack of weights...at least Leon knew there were some Casters that took exercise seriously), and finally...was that what he thought it was?

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that a giant boot?"

"Yes, it is." Noel confirmed. "Although...I don't know why there's a boot here..."

"That's the hotel." Professor Cosmos informed. "Where we will be staying for the week."

The boys let this sink in for a second, then their jaws dropped.

"WHAT!?" They shouted in unison.

...

After giving each squad a room key, Professor Cosmos split everyone into groups for the festival preparations.

"Squad Pisces." She called. "You can do the decorations."

"Yes, Professor." Verden Reese bowed.

"Hmm...Squad Capricorn, you can find some music to play at the festval."

"Of course." Lien Po nodded.

"Leave it to me, Lien!" Warren Moon said with a wink.

"Squad Virgo." Professor Cosmos said. "Can you help with setting up the games?"

"Yes." Rune said.

"Yeah!" Mary raised a fist triumphantly. "We get the fun job!"

"Squad Sagittarius." Professor Cosmos turned to Leon's group. "You will see to..." She frowned. "Huh...I don't know what job to give you..."

"Aww..." Soleil whined. "I can't sit still for a week!"

"No kidding." Leon shook his head. "There has to be something we can do..."

"Hmm..." Noel closed his eyes, and thought for a moment. "Maybe..." He opened them, and snapped his fingers. "I got it! We can be the town's security!"

"That's a great idea!" Soleil said excitedly.

"Uh..." Leon was skeptical. "Are you sure we're up for that?"

"I think it's a great idea." Professor Cosmos chipped in. "Think of it as your first mission. If there's any trouble, it will be up to you to stop it."

"Then I guess I can't refuse." He crossed his arms. "To refuse a mission...that would be wrong."

"Alright then." She turned to the students she hadn't called. "As for the rest of you, you'll have janitorial duties once the festival has ended."

"WHAT!?" They all exclaimed.

"And that is all! Get to work everyone!"

...

As Leon and his squad patrolled the town, he took a look at everything that was going on.

Verden Reese was setting up lights, while being held up by Carlos. The guy couldn't hold his leader's weight anymore, and he collapsed with Verden crushing his back.

Warren Moon was chatting with an all-female rock band, who were blushing and giggling at everything he said. Then an unamused Lien Po came up behind him, and tapped his shoulder. Warren turned around slowly, and smiled at him nervously.

Rune and Amber were tending to her sister, who had somehow caused one of the stalls to collapse on her. Once Mary had assured them she was okay, Amber proceeded to scold her.

"Quite the sight, isn't it?" Noel mused.

"Yeah." Leon agreed. "To think...we'll be doing this every year..."

"The start of a new tradition. There's nothing more beautiful than this."

It was right at that moment when Leon bumped into something, and fell backwards. He yelped in surprise, while someone shrieked. Then he couldn't see anything at all.

He could only feel the pavement on his back, and something soft pressed against him. He naturally felt around, eventually making his way up the object in a slow motion.

Then there was another shriek, and the thing got off of him. He just barely sat up when a hand slapped his cheek, and sent him flying sideways. He flew into Warren Moon, and they crashed into the bakery.

"Whoa dude..." Warren groaned.

"Sorry..." Leon let out, wincing at the pain.

They got up, and Leon was surprised when Warren patted him on the back, with a smile on his face.

"Wha...aren't you mad?" Leon asked.

Warren laughed. "Mad? Of course not! The slickest bro in Magica Academy just crashed into me!"

"Slick?"

It was then that Leon noticed everyone looking at him.

Well, Rune was currently passed out on the ground, while Mary was trying to shake him awake. Amber looked absolutely furious at Leon.

Lien shaking his head, while Kimiko Sakura was blushing, covering her mouth.

Then finally, Soleil's eye was twitching, while she was trying her hardest to not clench her fist. Noel was giving Leon a disapproving look. And there in between them, was someone that made him suck in a breath.

It was girl, around his age. She was petite, and had an innocent look that was intensified by the glasses she wore in front of her teal eyes. Her hair was bushy and golden brown, and it fell to her shoulders. Her dress was light blue, and fell to her ankles. A little heart made of silver hung around her neck.

Currently, the girl's face was completely red, and her eyes were spaced out. She was shaking uncontrollably.

"Uh..." Leon couldn't find a thing to say.

"Leon." Soleil had a dangerous edge in her voice. "Please come here."

He flinched, but nodded, and hurried over to them. Once he got there, he was met with another slap from Soleil. At least this didn't send him flying, but it still hurt.

"Ow!" He yelled, holding his cheek. "What did I do!?"

Noel sighed, and shook his head. "Leon, mind telling me what you did before you got slapped the first time?"

"Well, I just started feeling the thing that landed..." Leon's eyes widened as he started to realize. "On top...of me..."

His face turned a little red, and he looked at the new girl. She was looking at him guiltily, and her hands were behind her back. The blush had faded a little.

"I suppose I should introduce myself." She said quietly. "Um...I'm Minerva Sparks. Sorry that our first meeting...turned out like this.


	17. Science, Magic, and Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Squad Sagittarius meets an odd girl named Minerva Sparks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second to last chapter! Hope you enjoyed everything so far!
> 
> Now on with the show!

Up in Squad Sagittarius's hotel room, they were introducing themselves to Minerva Sparks. The new girl was still a little flushed, and looked rather shy in their presence.

"So..." Leon adjusted his collar. "I'm Leon Ellsworth. S-sorry...about..."

"I-it's alright!" Minerva waved her arms frantically. "I overreacted!"

"Anyway," Noel cut in. "I'm Noel Maddox. Nice to meet you."

"And I'm Soleil Copellia!" Soleil said cheerfully.

"W-well..." Minerva gave a small smile. "It's nice to meet you." She sighed. "Again...sorry for slapping you..."

"I deserved it." Leon said, touching the spot where she slapped him. "I really shouldn't have..." He blushed a little, and shook his head. "Forget it. I'm sure there's more important things to talk about."

"L-like what?"

"Well..." Noel put a hand on his chin. "You said your last name is Sparks." His eyes lit up. "Wait a minute...does that mean...your father..."

"Is Professor Jeremiah Sparks?" Minerva finished, giggling. "Yes. I take it you're a fan of his?"

"Of course!" Noel jumped up excitedly. "His research is simply astounding!"

"Excuse me?" Leon cut in. "But who is Professor Sparks, exactly?"

"He's my father." Minerva repeated. "And he researches the souls of living things."

"His findings were published in a small, but detailed book." Noel added. "One of the things was The Aegis Theory."

"The Aegis Theory?" Leon raised an eyebrow. "Like...our shields?"

"Correct." Minerva confirmed, now getting pent up. "Basically, it states that our souls provide this protection, so as to protect the body it resides in from harm." Her eyes gleamed, and she stood straight up. "It also says that any living thing with a soul is able to produce an Aegis, and this includes non-Casters!"

She squealed loudly, making everyone else jump in surprise.

"It's revolutionary!" She continued. "After this was published, there were efforts to confirm this! And guess what? After months of testing on a non-Caster subject, it turned out to be true! This normal person could now produce an Aegis!" She sighed wistfully. "Oh my...someday, once I get older..."

Then she stopped, and slowly looked around. Soleil looked like she lost track of everything, while Leon was dumbfounded. Even Noel was pleasantly surprised.

"Uh..." Minerva started getting red. "I...um..." She looked down shyly. "S-sorry..."

"It's alright!" Leon said quickly. "Th-that..." He gave a nervous smile. "Was a really amazing explanation!"

"Y-you think so!?"

"Yeah! I mean, coming from the Real World, anything here really amazes me. But this is the most amazing thing!"

"O-oh!" Minerva beamed. "Th-thank you!"

"Your welcome...heh..."

They looked away awkwardly for a moment. Then they heard the door slam shut, and jumped.

"Huh?" Leon looked at it in surprise. "Wait...did Noel and Soleil just leave?"

"I wonder why." Minerva said, tilting her head. Then something on the bed caught her eye, and she pointed at it. "Hey, look at this!"

It was a note. Leon picked it up and read it.

"To Leon and Minerva." He began. "Soleil and I decided to look around the town some more, and maybe find an ice cream parlor." He looked at the words in disbelief. "Man, they could have brought us!"

"Continue." Minerva urged.

"Okay..." He sighed. "You two can do whatever you'd like. Just meet us back here by tonight, we have patrol after all. Sincerely, Noel Maddox."

"Well, this is odd." She remarked. "What do you think we should do?"

"I don't-" Leon raised an eyebrow at the note. "Oh wait, there's more. P.S: I think I saw a café earlier, in case you don't know where to go. Enjoy your day!" He frowned and crumbled up the paper. "Oh, I get it now. Think he can set me up?"

"Set you up?" Minerva wondered.

He shook his head. "Nevermind, what do you want to do?"

"Well..." Minerva smiled hopefully. "I want to look for the café. Is that alright?"

"Um..." Leon smiled nervously. "Sure, why not?"

...

They went to the bottom floor, only to find Professor Cosmos and Amber Artegnan having a conversation. And based on the looks of it, it wasn't a good one. They noticed Leon and Minerva, and turned to him with angry looks.

"Mr. Ellsworth." Professor Cosmos said in a low voice.

Leon gulped. "Yes, Professor?"

The two women stepped up to him, and raised their hands.

SMACK!

...

Leon and Minerva had found the café just beside the hotel. It was a cozy little building made out of a giant teacup.

Once they had ordered a couple of teas, they sat down and began to talk. Of course, why not start out with what happened just minutes before?

"Can't I catch a break..." Leon groaned, disbelief on his face. "I already got thrown into a building..."

"Oh..." Minerva looked down sadly. "I'm sorry for getting you into trouble..."

"Again, it's alright. I kinda deserved it."

"But I fell on you. It's not like you touched me intentionally."

There was an awkward moment of silence, during which the waiter served them their tea.

Leon finally decided to pick things up. "Anyway...If you're here, where's your father?"

Minerva perked up. "Oh, he's in our room. We're staying in Magica for the week, while he's on vacation."

"That brings me to ask," He frowned. "Aren't you an academy student? Shouldn't you be at...wherever you came from?"

"I'm a student from Astellia Academy, which is located on the continent of Raines. This new Halloween tradition made my father's vacation possible."

Leon leaned forward a little. "Astellia Academy?"

Minerva nodded, and took a sip of her tea. "We're a school that specializes in magical technology. We make weapons, appliances, and machines for the future."

"Whoa, that's amazing!" He beamed.

"I know, right!?" She leaned forward in excitement. "Lights, heating and cooling, military power...It's just awesome!"

"You know, I just remembered something." Leon put a hand on his chin. "There's an industrial area here, but no smoke can be seen at all. The air is completely clean, why is that?"

"That's thanks to special things we mine in Raines." Minerva answered. "Mana Crystals, which produce magical energy. They power everything in the Magical World."

He grinned. "A completely clean source of energy, that's amazing!" Then he frowned. "Wait...magical energy?"

"What do you think we use to cast spells? Magical energy is produced in our bodies, and released when a spell is used. Look at the palms of your hands."

Leon did so, wondering just what was going on.

"Now, just stare into them." Minerva said. "Can you feel the tingling in your hands?"

He concentrated a bit , then gasped. "Y-yeah!"

She smiled. "That's the feeling of magical energy ready to be released. You see, it's channeled by special circuits extending from your soul, which is the source of magical energy. These are called magic circuits, and they extend to many points around your hands."

Leon looked at his hands in amazement. "Incredible!" Then he thought of something. "Wait, if magic circuits extend from the soul, and the soul produces magical energy..."

"You're wondering why non-Casters, who have souls, can't cast magic?" Minerva guessed. "That's simple: They don't have magic circuits."

"At all?"

"Nope. Casters are born with them, while non-Casters aren't."

"But if a non-Caster is capable of producing an Aegis...Could it be possible for magic circuits to be created as well?"

Minerva laughed. "We're already in the middle of testing that! The subject is working hard to try casting magic as we speak. She's a special student at Astellia Academy who wanted to be with her friends, and be able to pull her own weight." She frowned. "But the procedures involved...they really put a strain on the body...I don't know how successful the test will be."

Leon thought for a second. "But if it does succeed...That would mean..." His eyes widened. "No way..."

"Non-Casters will be able to integrate into our society!" She finished joyfully, raising a fist into the air. "A revolution is in the making!"

That finally made a few other people look at her in surprise, and she gasped. After an awkward moment of silence, she lowered her arm, and looked at her lap.

"U-um..." She stammered, a blush appearing on her cheeks. "S-sorry...Uh...How about we head out?"

...

Meanwhile, Noel and Soleil had found the ice cream parlor near the north part of town, which was where the people lived. The shop, of course, was a giant container of ice cream. They went inside, ordered their treats, then sat down at a table near the window.

"So..." Soleil grinned. "We left the two alone, now we just wait for the results!"

"I'm kind of against playing matchmaker." Noel admitted, but he chuckled. "But I suppose this match is worth making."

"Well, while they're getting to know each other." She leaned toward him. "I would like to talk to you about your life."

"Huh?" He was surprised. "I already told you and Leon, didn't I?"

"Yes, but...I want to know what it was like for you at the orphanage."

Noel sighed. "Well, okay... but tell me, why do you want to know?"

"You're my friend." Soleil said immediatly. "And as your friend, I feel like I should know more about your life. And if you have any problems, I'll try and help you."

"Then here it goes. As I said before, I never had a name until I learned to talk and make one for myself." He looked down sadly. "Even as a toddler...I was confused about myself. The day I gave myself a name only scratched of the rust that covered my problems."

"What more was there?"

"There was still the fact that I was left on the doorstep. I was without an actual parent to raise me, and the adults at the orphanage weren't around often, due to the other kids. So I was left without a role model for a good chunk of my childhood."

"That's sad..."

A waitress brought their large serving of ice cream sundae, then bowed as she backed away.

"So..." Soleil scooped a bit of ice cream, and licked it. "What happened?"

"I was adopted." Noel smiled. "I was scared at first, but my foster parents are kind people. They gave me the comforts I didn't have for most of my life. And they're the reason I got into books, since they have a library that I was allowed to look at whenever I wanted."

"That's great!"

"I was quite lucky." He took a bite of the sundae. "It was around then that my magical abilities started to awaken, and I pushed myself even harder to learn what I could about the world. I even pulled all-nighters."

"So that's how you became who you are today."

"But you know..." He sighed. "I'm beginning to question if who I am...is the real me. Noel Maddox wasn't the name I was born with. So I wonder...if I was raised by the family who gave birth to me, would I have been the same?" He scowled, and pounded the table. "Is the person I am now just a fake identity, made as way to cope with not having biological parents?"

"Noel!" Soleil was alarmed.

"Tell me..." Noel put a hand over his heart. "Is this the real me?"

Then Soleil grabbed his hand, and he gasped.

"It is the real you." She assured, looking into his eyes. "Everyone doesn't have an identity, until they make it themselves. Everything you are now, is the real you, because you made it."

"Soleil..." He started to tear up as he returned her gaze. "How can you be sure?"

That made her flinch. "Uh..." She frowned. "Honestly...I'm not sure...I was hyper ever since I was born. I remained the same person, throughout the years. And you..."

"Made up everything, because I had nothing from the start."

"You know what?" She grew determined. "I don't care. I feel like this you is real, and I'm sure our friends think the same." She grinned. "So come on, perk up a bit! Get into a little philosophical episode, or something that you would do normally."

Noel was stunned for a moment, but a smile began to settle on his face,

"You're right." He conceded. "The real me...is this one."

"There we go! Now, is there anything that seems interesting?" Soleil let go of his hand.

He looked sad for a moment, but then he blinked in surprise and shook his head. "W-well, I did remember something that got me thinking about Minerva..." He started to get deep in thought.

"What is it?" She looked perplexed.

"I once read an article about her, from two years ago. It said that she was in a serious accident while on a trip with her father. An accidental fall off a cliff to be exact."

"That's horrible! I'm surprised that she survived!"

"Aha!" Noel raised a finger. "That's what I was about to get into! According to the article, and even her own statements, her Aegis was gone before she hit the ground. Even if she did survive, she would have suffered many injuries that would have left scars."

Soleil gasped upon remembering something. "But her skin looks flawless! How!?"

"I don't know, but this is enough for us to start keeping an eye on her." He scowled. "I kind of regret leaving Leon with her..."

"H-he'll be fine! I mean, Minerva is such a docile girl! She looks like she wouldn't hurt a fly!"

"I hope you're right..." Noel looked out the window. "It's getting late, we should head back. They might be waiting for us."

...

Leon and Minerva had taken a little walk around the market, when the sun started to set.

"Well, time to head back." He said, looking at the darkening sky. "Come on."

"Yeah." Minerva nodded in agreement.

As they walked back, Minerva continued the conversation they were having.

"Your friends sound so interesting." She smiled. "I can't wait to start hanging out with you more."

"Wait," Leon was pleasantly surprised. "Hang out? But you're from another continent."

"Well, we have the week for now. And later, there will be another festival where the students from all of the other schools will gather for a tournament."

"And we can see each other?"

"Yes! Although, I hope I don't end up facing your squad."

"As long as we can hang out together..." Leon blushed a little. "I don't mind if we end up being opponents."

"Th-that's great!" Minerva turned a little red as she beamed. "Th-thank you for becoming my friend!"

He returned the smile, and they just enjoyed each other's company for a bit more. Then Leon saw something that ruined the good feelings. He stopped, and pulled Minerva with him as he ducked behind the sign of the bakery.

"W-what's-" She began.

He shushed her. "Be quiet. Just take a careful peek."

They did so, and there he was.

The fancy gold coat, that mischievous look, blonde hair that managed to stick out in tiny curls despite being carefully groomed. And it looked like his goons were back too. Yes, it was...

"Not this guy again..." Leon groaned.

"Who is he?" Minerva asked.

"He's a robber I met the day my powers awakened. What's he doing here?"

The man appeared to be explaining something to the goons, who nodded at each pause of the speech. Once the boss was done, he and the goods began to hurry off to somewhere else, to the direction of...

"They're going to the industrial area." Leon stood up. "What are they planning?"

"If he's a thief..." Minerva gasped. "He might be planning to steal the Mana Crystals!"

"Oh no..." Leon scowled. "Come on! We need to find the others!"

Then he started to run, pulling a shrieking Minerva along with him.


	18. Finale: The Seeker of Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Squad Sagittarius confronts Henry Bishop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final Chapter everyone!
> 
> While I know this isn't read often, I'm glad to know that there are still those who do read this.
> 
> I'm going to continue cross posting other works from Fictionpress. Including more Magica Academy related stuff.
> 
> Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are very much appreciated!
> 
> So now, let's set the stage for the final act!

Leon and Minerva hadn't gotten far before they ran into Noel and Soleil. Literally.

The two duos were now a tangled mess of bodies on the ground.

Noel groaned. His voice was muffled by Leon's chest . "Why can't you watch where you're going?"

"Sorry." Leon said, getting off of him.

They turned to the girls, and couldn't really find any words. Soleil had Minerva pinned to the ground, and the latter looked really nervous.

"S-sorry..." She murmured.

"It's alright." Soleil assured, grinning. "You know, you're really pretty. And even cuter when you're like this."

Minerva blushed. "Uh...um..."

Leon had about enough of this. "Soleil! Let her get up! We have something important to tell you!"

"Oh!" Soleil let go of Minerva, and stood up. "Sorry!"

"I'm fine." Minerva stated, dusting of her dress. "L-let's just move on."

"Right!" Leon nodded. "Guys, we just saw some thugs going to the industrial area! They might be trying to steal Mana Crystals!"

"What are-" Soleil started to ask.

"The sources of energy for most places around the world." Noel answered, looking angry. "We need to stop them! Come on, let's get the professor!"

"No." Leon said seriously. "Remember what she said? It's up to us to stop any trouble that pops up."

"That doesn't mean we should go in without some form of help!"

"Th-then let me help you!" Minerva offered. "I have technological weapons at my disposal! I might not be strong..." She looked at them with determination. "But I will do my best to support you!"

"Minerva..." Leon was amazed. He grinned, and looked at Noel. "So what do you think, Smarty?"

Noel thought on it. "If we aren't going to the professor..." He sighed. "Then I guess Minerva can join us."

Minerva beamed. "Th-thank you!" She bowed. "I'll do my best!"

Soleil cheered, and raised a fist into the air. "Now what are we waiting for? Let's go kick some Rogues!"

"Come on guys!" Leon held his hand over his heart. "Time to change!"

"Right!" Noel and Soleil did same thing.

"Mùto Formare!" The three shouted in unison.

Then in a flash, they were in their field outfits. Minerva was absolutely amazed by them.

"Whoa!" She exclaimed. "I can't believe you get to wear things like those!"

"They are pretty cool." Leon agreed.

"I'm still not sure about mine..." Noel looked at his outfit in disbelief.

"What about your outfit, Minerva?" Soleil asked curiously.

"Well..." Minerva looked sheepish. "It's not as cool as yours, but..." She took a deep breath, and held her hand over her heart.

Squad Sagittarius looked at the blue tattoo on the back of it. A vase pouring out water.

"That's the sign for Aquarius." Noel said with interest. "So that's your squad."

Minerva nodded. "And now, to change my look! Mùto Formare!"

Light enveloped her for just a moment, then faded to reveal her outfit.

It was a blue button upped coat over a grey long-sleeved dress. The skirt reached to just a little past her thigh, and she wore a pair of grey leggings. Her footwear consisted of black leather boots, and white socks that went up to just below her knees. Strapped to her hip was high-tech looking gun along with clips of varying colors.

"Whoa." Was all Leon could say.

The others were looking Minerva up and down.

"I-it's the Astellia Academy uniform!" The girl informed, a little flustered. "I-I know it's not that good..."

"It really looks...odd, I guess." Noel admitted.

"Shut up." Leon told him with a glare. Then he smiled at Minerva. "I think it looks nice."

Minerva looked happy at that, while Noel was stunned. Soleil covered her mouth as she tried not to laugh.

...

They headed up the path through the industrial area, until they finally reached the power plant. The mechanical building was lit up like a Christmas tree, and dull noises could be heard from the inside.

Leon looked up at it with a brave face. "This is it guys, let's make our first mission a success!"

"Yeah!" They all agreed.

They went inside, and gawked at the room they stepped into.

Everywhere they looked, there were machines humming as crystals of varying colors pulsed with elemental energy. The room itself was huge and circular, and at the back were stairs that circled up to the higher floors.

But what really drew their attention was the machine in the center of the room, which was connected to the rest with a series of wires. It was so tall, it reached all the way up to the top floor, and it also hummed as it used the magical energy. And right in front of it, there were a few workers and their Spectres being cornered by...

"That's him!" Leon said, pointing at the attackers.

"Wait a minute..." Noel took a closer look. "I know this guy..."

The boys and girls entered the fight just as it ended. The leader of the thugs blasted his victims with a geyser of water, and they were sent flying into the wall. They fell to the floor as their Aegises faded.

"Stop right there!" Leon declared.

"What!?" The leader turned around in surprise. "You again!?" He looked at Leon's tattoos with distaste. "And you just had to be a Caster as well..." Then he grinned and spread his arms out. "No matter, you can't stop me! But go ahead and try!"

"Henry Bishop!" Noel called, stepping forward. "We are Squad Sagittarius of Magica Academy! And for your crimes, you will be locked up!"

"What..." Henry was surprised. "How do you know my name?"

"An old friend of yours told me."

"Elise..." Henry looked a little amused. "Let me guess, she's here too?"

"No." Leon said. "We're here by ourselves. It's our mission to take you down."

Henry chuckled. "You really should have brought backup." He stepped back. "You can't stop us from stealing the Mana Crystals! But go ahead and try!" He pointed at Leon's group. "Prepare for battle, boys!"

"Yes, sir!" They obeyed, and prepared to summon their Spectres.

"Guys!" Leon said. "Call our friends!"

"Right!" Noel and Soleil said.

"Minerva! Stay back!"

"Alright!" Minerva obeyed, and went to a safer spot.

Then Squad Sagittarius held out their hands, and their star symbols began to glow. In a flash, their partners began to appear. At the same time, the thugs' Spectres began to form as well.

Then five Spectres popped out of the lights.

Ropup shook its body and yawned. Then upon seeing the situation, it crouched in anticipation and growled.

Burnape already knew what was going on. It pounded its just and flexed its muscles to show that it was ready to fight.

Owlet glared at its opponents, and prepared to take flight.

Their opponents, a flaming leopard and an icy wolf, looked at them with predatory gazes.

"So these are Spectres." Minerva said in amazement. "I'm actually getting a close look at this kind of fight!"

"Ropup!" Leon called first.

"Owlet!" Noel second.

"Burnape!" Soleil last.

Their Spectres cried out in unison.

"White Fang!" The wolf's owner called.

"Leopyre!" The leopard's owner called.

White Fang howled, while Leopyre roared.

"Battle!" The Casters shouted.

...

Back at the hotel, Professor Cosmos was looking around the bottom floor. The worry was clear on her face.

"Where could they be?" She wondered.

"What's wrong, Professor?" Lien Po walked up to her.

"I can't find Squad Sagittarius. I know they're on patrol, but...they aren't anywhere around the town. Have they come by here?"

"No. I don't know where they could have gone off to."

"Maybe I just missed them. Yeah, that's it." Though Professor Cosmos looked unsure.

"Tell you what," Lien put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll go with my squad to look for them."

"That would be nice." The professor smiled. "Thank you."

...

"Now!" Noel called. "Vice maneuver! Wing Attack!"

"Fire Punch!" Soleil commanded.

Owlet dived at White Fang's right side, while Burnape rushed at its left. They struck at the same time, causing the wolf to howl in pain.

"I got this!" Minerva called.

She aimed her gun, and fired a flaming ray that struck White Fang in the side of the head. The wolf flinched from the hit, and collapsed.

"White Fang!" Its owner called in concern. "Are you alright?"

Meanwhile, Ropup was locked in a battle of agility with Leopyre.

When Ropup tried to bite the leopard, it leaped back swiftly. Then it countered with a swipe of its claw, and Ropup leaped rolled out of the way. This cycle continued to repeat, as each side tried to gain the upper hand.

"You can do this!" Leon encouraged. "Let's show them that!" He gestured to Leopyre. "Gale Headbutt!"

"Two can play at that game!" Leopyre's owner said, gesturing to Ropup. "Flame Charge!"

Ropup crouched down, and growled as wind started to spiral around it. At the same time, Leopyre was being cloaked in flames. Once their attacks were charged, they rushed at each other.

Their attacks collided, and bounced away from each other. They continued to fly and crash around the room, breaking some machines as they fought. Finally, they returned to their original positions, and rushed one more time.

When the attacks met, they continued to push against each other. Each side struggled to gain the upper hand, and the Casters were anxious for the outcome.

"Break through, Ropup!" Leon cried desperately.

"Show this kid what strength is, Leopyre!" The leopard's owner shouted.

The attacks got even fiercer, as Ropup's wind became bigger and spiraled around faster, while the flames around Leopyre became even hotter and turned blue. They contiuned to struggle for another moment...

Then they broke away, with Ropup's wind fading away, and the puppy suspended on its back in midair. Leopyre, however, was still cloaked in flames. It grinned triumphantly.

"No!" Leon cried out in horror.

"Finish it!" The leopard's owner commanded.

Leopyre rushed into Ropup's stomach as it began to fall, and the poor puppy was sent flying into a machine at high speed. The machine sparked, and exploded in a cloud of flames. Ropup flew to the ground, and landed in front of Leon, unconscious. Its Aegis faded away.

"Ropup..." Leon fell to his knees, and started to sob. "No..."

Leopyre landed at its owner's side, and he laughed.

"Nice try, kid." He admitted. "But you're too weak."

"Leon!" Noel stepped in front of his leader protectively. "Leave it to us!"

"B-but..." Leon tried to protest.

"There's nothing you can do now. Just stay back."

"Alright..."

Leon picked up Ropup went to Minerva, who looked extremely worried.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"I...guess..." Leon said, looking at the Spectre in his arms.

...

Meanwhile, Squad Capricorn was looking around the town, and currently near the ice cream parlor. When they heard explosions from the industrial area, they stopped to look in its direction.

"What was that?" Warren Moon asked in confusion.

"That might be trouble." Lien guessed. "And if there's trouble, Squad Sagittarius will most likely be there."

"What should we do?" Kimiko Sakura asked worriedly.

"We need to get Professor Cosmos! Let's go!"

They began to run back to the hotel as quick as they could.

...

Owlet crashed into the wall, and shakily fluttered down. It collapsed in front of Noel, barely able to stay conscious. Burnape came down soon after, and managed to stay up for a bit. Then it groaned and fell back, out cold.

"No!" Their owners cried.

"And that's the match kids!" Henry declared in triumph.

"We failed..." Leon said sadly.

"This can't be happening..." Soleil was shocked. "We were supposed to beat the bad guys!"

Henry laughed sarcastically. "That's a good one!" Then he scowled. "Do you know how many people I've met that had dreams of being so-called 'heroes'? They think that they can have a peaceful world, and have it be all sunshine and rainbows. And yet, they know so little on what's actually going on."

"What do you mean?" Noel wondered.

"There's more going on than you think, kid. And yet you think you can stop people more powerful than you." Henry raised his hand. "And it's people like you that I will enjoy beating!"

The star on his palm glowed, and a ball of light appeared above him. Then a bull-sized figure burst from it, and screeched.

It was like parrot, with yellow and green feathers and a jagged black beak. The feathers grew in a way that made the Spectre look like it had a cape. The plummage on the top of its head was white and slicked back.

"Sparkarrot!" Henry called. "Lightning Chain!"

Sparkarrot curled up in the air, and electricity started sparking around it.

"What's it doing!?" Soleil asked in alarm.

"It's preparing to attack!" Noel warned, holding his hands forward. "Keep up your guard! Murus!"

A magical wall appeared in front of him, and Soleil nodded.

"Okay!" She held her own arms out. "Murus!"

Leon thought it was good idea to defend as well.

"Murus!" He summoned his own wall, then glanced at Minerva. "Prepare yourself!" Then he gasped in surprise. "Minerva?"

The girl was frozen in place, staring at Sparkarrot with wide eyes.

"Lightning..." She sounded horrified. "N-not that..."

"Minerva!" Leon let down his guard to shake her. "Get ahold of yourself!"

"I-I don't want to die!" Minerva backed away, shaking her head. "Somebody help me!"

"Minerva, snap out of-"

Then Sparkarrot squawked and spread its wings, and three tendrils of electricity burst from it. The chains of lightning flew around the room, and honed in on their targets. Leon was immediately struck, and he screamed in agony as he was shocked. Then he collapsed, now knocked out.

"Leon!" Noel and Soleil called out in concern, struggling to hold the attack back with their barriers.

The other two tendrils finally bounced off after a small struggle, and turned to another target. It was Minerva they were targeting now.

"Look out!" Noel warned.

But Minerva was too scared to move, and the lightning struck her. She screamed even more than Leon, like it was even more painful. She dropped to her knees, shaking violently as electricity sparked around her.

"No..." She muttered. "P-please..."

"What's going on with her!?" Soleil exclaimed.

Henry was wondering the same thing. "What is up with this girl?"

Then Minerva let out another horrified scream as the sparks got even more frequent.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" She screeched, her eyes turning red.

"What!?" Noel cried out in shock.

"Boss..." One of the goons whimpered. "This could be bad..."

"Sparkarrot!" Henry called. "Electro Beam!"

His Spectre squawked and shot a ray of lightning from its beak. When it hit Minerva, she screamed and raised her head. Her Aegis faded away, and she shook more violently than ever.

"You..." Her voice was becoming distorted. W-willl..." She glared angrily at Henry. "WILL PAY FOR THIS!"

Then she thrust her hands forward, and wires shot out of her fingertips. They scattered around the room, and stuck to the walls.

"What is she-" Noel started to say.

Then Minerva screamed once more, and the electricity she absorbed traveled through the wires, and into the walls. The whole building began to shake as many volts of electricity scattered all over, infecting the machines and making them short-circuit.

"Watch out!" Noel warned.

He pulled Soleil to the floor, and embraced her.

Then he blacked out as the whole building exploded in a sea of fire, ice, and lightning.

...

Professor Cosmos was dashing through the industrial area, panting slightly.

"I hope the kids are alright." She said worriedly. "If anything happened to them..." She shook her head. "No, they'll be fine, I just need to make it in time."

She could hear violent noises getting louder as she neared the power plant, and she scowled.

"Don't worry, children. I'm right here."

But just as she reached the building, it started shaking, making her step back in surprise.

"What's going on!?"

Then it blew up, and she shrieked as she was thrown back. She groaned, and sat up. Then she looked at the destroyed building in defeat. The wreckage was being scattered around her, but she was frozen at her spot.

"No..." She started to sob.

She shakily stood up, and raised her hand. Storm clouds began to form, and a heavy rain fell over the site.

"They must still be in there." She told herself. "Their Aegises should have taken the hit..."

Once the area was doused, she began to make her slow approach through the wreckage. Up ahead, there was a mountain of debris.

The professor took a deep breath. "Ch-children?"

She waited for a moment, then gasped as she heard a few groans comming from underneath the debris.

"Are you alright!?" She exclaimed.

"Pro...fessor?" Noel's voice came from right in front of her.

"Mr. Maddox!" She was relieved. "Thank Gaia that you're alive!"

"But what about me?" Came an all too familliar voice.

"Wait..." Professor Cosmos's eyes widened. "It can't be..."

Then the debris started to shake, and she stepped back.

Henry's Spectre, Sparkarrot, burst from the wreckage, sending it flying in all directions. There, laying all over the ground were the professor's students. Leon was face down, with Ropup curled up underneath him. Near them was the girl she saw earlier, burnt in a few places and laying on her back.

Then right in front of the professor was Noel, struggling to get up. An unconscious Soleil was in his arms. In front of them was a knocked out Burnape, and a barely conscious Owlet. And up ahead...

"Henry." Professor Cosmos glared.

The man was shakily standing in front of his Spectre. His lackeys were face down and unconscious, along with their Spectres. The workers were knocked out as well.

"Hello, Elise." Henry said with his trademark smirk. "Knew you would come sooner or later."

"This has gone far enough!" Professor Cosmos shouted angrily. "You hurt my children! You're going to pay for this!"

"Professor..." Noel groaned.

"Mr. Maddox!" She went to his side. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He winced. "Will you...please let me handle this?"

"What!?" She was shocked. "In your condition!? Are you mad!?"

"Kid," Henry started. "As much as I would enjoy pounding you, I have to agree with her." He shook his head. "Why do you still keep fighting?"

"Because..." Noel began to think, and he set Soleil down carefully. "Wait...I don't want to fight."

Henry was perplexed. "Oh? Then what do you want?"

"I want to know what you mean by...the world not being what we think it is."

Henry sighed. "You actually have the mind to ask..." He smiled bitterly. "Okay...To be honest, my life was a good one. I grew up with the ideals that Magica Academy had preached, being a hero would bring light to the world. When I graduated, I was given the job of an Enforcer, a Caster who traveled around the world to take on missions too hard for the academy students." He lowered his head. "I was happy, at first...

"Then what happened?" Noel wondered.

"I saw the true horrors of the world, and realized it isn't all as great as Magica Academy makes it. I saw villages in ruins...my comrades killed...The only solace I had was with my family...But I was never truly happy...because I had never had a real dream...Being a hero is just a wish."

"And that's why you're a Rogue?"

"Yes...When I came back from a failed mission...I was fired, and didn't know what else to do..." Henry looked at the night sky. "When I realized that the ideal was fake, I began to question my identity."

Noel gasped. "Your...identity."

"Yeah...I eventually decided this: Your identity will never become completely real, not without an achievable dream. But by that then...it was too late for me to have one. So I turned to theft to support my family."

Professor Cosmos was sad. "Henry...Did you really have to go that far?"

Henry looked back at her with an equally solemn expression. "It was the only thing I could do." Then he looked at Noel. "So I ask this: Do you really believe that the world can be all sunshine and rainbows?"

"No..." Noel admitted, shaking his head. "You're right, complete peace is not possible. But answer this: Do I really need a dream, to have a real indentity?"

"Yes." Henry was curious. "So tell me, what is your dream?"

"I...I think..." Noel took a deep breath. "I want to find out more about the world."

Henry was astonished. "What?"

"I never knew who I really was, and I began to doubt if the person I am is the real me." He smiled. "But then someone told me, that it doesn't matter if I made myself up, I'm still real. And yet...something's still missing."

It was as if the wind was responding to him. It gently blew around him, and at his feet, Owlet picked itself up.

"Is this..." Professor Cosmos was amazed. "What I think it is?"

"And now I realize..." Noel continued. "That the even if that is true...I need to look into the past! So I can look forward to my future! And so I say this: I will find out what secrets lie in this world, and find out more about myself!"

The wind grew fiercer, and his robes blew around him wildly. Then Owlet spread its wings, and began to be enveloped in electricity.

"This is..." Professor Cosmos was at a loss for words. "This is..."

"Evolution!" Henry finished, equally amazed. "Just...who are you kid!?"

Noel grinned. "I am Noel Maddox! And my dream...will be to seek the truth!"

Owlet began to grow bigger...and bigger...until it reached to about half of Noel's height. Its chest puffed out a bit, and its feathers became longer. Then sparks flew as it revealed its new form.

Owlet looked fiercer, with more narrowed eyes. When its wings were folded it gave the impression of a robe, thanks to longer, silk-like feathers and plummage that extended from the top of the head to the back.

A card appeared in a flash, and spun through the air. Noel caught it with one hand, and glanced at it before pocketing it. Then he carefully reached down to pet his friend, and smiled when it nuzzled his hand.

"Well then, Noel." Henry grinned. "Looks like you do know yourself, and will continue to find out more. I'm glad...that someone's set straight."

"Henry..." Professor Cosmos said sadly. "You might still have a chance...to live a good life again."

"The thing is...I don't have anything left..." He looked at her with longing. "You said it yourself...He's gone."

"He?" Noel wondered.

There was a sad silence as the adults stared each other down. He had to wonder what was going on in their heads.

Finally, Professor Cosmos sighed. "If you really feel that way...What we had between us...did it not matter?"

"It did." Henry assured. "But you know as well as I do...that nothing would be right...without him." He looked at Noel. "Kid, do your worst."

"Okay..." Noel said reluctantly. "Owlager...Spark Dive!"

Noel's newly evolved Spectre took to the air, and was cloaked in electricity. Then it began to dive toward Henry at high speed, and the man grinned. That seemed suspicious to Noel.

"Wait, what is he planning?" He wondered.

That was answered when Sparkarrot came from the side to grab Henry and take him to the air at the last second. Owlager missed its mark, and quickly righted itself to slide along the ground on its feet.

"So long, suckers." Henry said half heartedly, waving at the Casters. "See you again, maybe."

"No..." Noel fell to his knees, as Henry got farther away. "We failed..."

"We still have these two." Professor Cosmos gestured to the other thugs. "It's just a consolation...but it will do."

"I guess..." Noel got to his feet. "But tell me..." He looked at her with curiosity. "What did you mean...when you said you had something?"

She walked toward the place where Henry once stood, and stared at the ground. There was another uncomfortable silence.

Finally, she turned to Noel with tears in her eyes. "He was my husband."

...

Leon's eyes slowly opened up, and he saw the brightly lit ceiling above him. He sat up, and looked around in confusion.

He was in his squad's hotel room, and Soleil was laying on her bed across from his. They were in their uniforms, all neat and tidy, and most importantly, safe. Then he noticed Noel leaning against the wall near the door. He looked ecstatic.

"You're awake!" He exclaimed, walking up to him.

"Yeah..." Leon was still lost. "Um...what happened?"

That dampened Noel's mood, because he sighed and sat on the bed, looking gloomy.

"We failed." He said sadly. "Henry Bishop got away."

"What!?" Leon got onto his knees. "How did that..." His eyes widened as he remembered. "Oh no...where's Minerva!?"

"She's alright." Noel assured. "She's recovered nicely, but..." He looked away. "Due to recent events...her father ended his vacation early, and they went home."

"No..." Leon sat down, looking sad. "I-I shouldn't have brought her along..." Then he thought of something. "Wait...what about the Mana Crystals?"

"Oh yeah, about that..."

Noel explained to Leon everything that happened while he was out. From Minerva's outburst, to his confrontation with Henry. As he listened, Leon gradually became more amazed.

"Owlet evolved..." He muttered. "That's good and all, but..." He looked down. "Minerva...what is she?"

"I don't know." Noel said. "But she's more dangerous than we thought. I'd be glad to never see her again."

Then there was silence for a while, until Leon brought something else up.

"So...where are Ropup and Burnape?"

"They're fine." Noel answered. "They're back at their homes, safe and sound."

"I'm glad." Leon smiled a bit. "Everyone's fine, so...that's good." Then he frowned. "Wait, if the whole power plant exploded..."

"Don't worry about that." Noel assured him. "All of the teachers, workers, and even the students and citizens, pitched in to build a new one." He grinned. "Power just got back up this morning, and during the rebuilding there were still efforts to set up the festival."

"Wait..." Leon took a second to think, and was astonished. "I was out for a week!?"

"Yep." Noel laughed. "Just in time to witness a new tradition!"

"Ugh..." Soleil groaned.

They looked at her just as she was sitting up. She looked at them drowsily.

"Hey guys..." She yawned. "Man, I just had the craziest dream..." She pointed at them. "And you guys were there..."

The boys looked at each other, and chuckled.

"I think I should explain things to you." Noel said.

...

The festival that night was the liveliest event Leon had ever been to.

All around him, the citizens and students were celebrating. Couples danced on the streets to the rock band Warren Moon had hired. Currently, the flirt was singing a duet with the lead singer, much to the crowd's enjoyment. Lien Po was shaking his head, while Kimiko Sakura was giggling.

Then there was Verden Reese making art for people. The guy really had some skill, and his customers' delighted faces showed that. He bowed to the applause of a small crowd.

His squad was currently trying to knock over bottles at one of the stalls. Carlos chucked a ball, and it flew straight into the center of the three bottle pyramid. However, it bounced straight back at him and hit him in the gut. As he doubled over, Soleil stifled a laugh. She had set up a transparent wall, much to Noel's annoyance.

Rune was having a pleasant conversation with Cordell Irving. It ended with the two throwing an arm around each other and laughing. A few feet away, their squads were watching them with shock on their faces.

But despite everything that was going on...Leon couldn't bring himself to enjoy the festivities. He just sighed, and stood away from everything.

Noel and Soleil noticed him, and ran over to him.

"Hey, Leon!" Noel called. Then he looked concerned once he saw Leon's sad expression. "What's wrong?"

"It's just..." Leon looked down. "We failed the mission...The original power plant was destroyed...Henry Bishop got away...And...And Minerva..."

"I'm sad too..." Soleil admitted with a frown. Then she smiled. "But we're still learning, we couldn't have succeeded in a mission like that. It was our first one, and we will have more in the future." She put her hands on her hips. "So come on! Stop moping, and let's have some fun!"

"Soleil..." Leon cracked a smile. "I suppose a few games couldn't hurt..."

"Yay!"

Then his arm was suddenly grabbed by her, and he was pulled into the crowd.

"H-hey!" He protested. "Let me go! Soleil!"

Noel shook his head in amusement, and followed them. And despite the small misgivings at the back of his mind, Leon had a lot of fun that night.

...

A storm came in the middle of the festival, which brought an early end to it. Everyone turned in that night as a result, but Noel still watched the weather from the window. He looked like he was deep in thought, which prompted a still awake Leon to ask him...

"What's on your mind?"

Noel turned to him. "I was wondering...If I'm going to seek the truths in this world, when should I start?"

Leon chuckled, and pointed at the journal on the bed. "You've kinda already been doing that. You record everything you find out, that's truth seeking in my book."

"I guess so." Noel smiled. Then he frowned, and touched his eyebrow. "Hey, Leon..."

"Yeah?"

"Since I'm also finding out about myself...Do you think that I should accept my past?"

"If it was a good one, then I don't see why not. The past is part of your identity."

"Then...would it be alright, if I kept my contacts off?"

Leon was surprised. "Are you sure?"

Noel nodded. "I'm not going to be a fake. So why would I need to see through fake eyes?"

Then he turned away, and began the somewhat uncomfortable process of removing the contacts. One hit the ground a moment later, and then another soon after.

"So..." Leon tilted his head. "Is that better?"

Noel slowly turned to him, his eyes closed in a serene expression. Then he opened them, and Leon gasped. The shade of blue...Where had he seen that?

"It feels way better." Noel looked at him, puzzled. "Are they fine?"

"Uh...yeah! It's just...going take some getting used to."

Noel's newly revealed sapphire eyes lit up. "That's good! So..." He grinned. "Do you think Soleil will like them?"

Leon chuckled nervously. "I think she'll be ecstatic..."

...

A few days later...

"Well," Leon sighed into his breakfast. "Business as usual...Yay..."

"To be honest, I'm glad to be back at work." Noel admitted. "I'm not going to be a researcher if I just laze around."

"At least I can have fun with combat classes again." Soleil said, eating a piece of pancake. "A small break is what we needed to break the monotone."

"At least New Years is getting closer." Leon smiled. "Even if it's for a week...I can be with my family again."

"Speaking of family," Noel started. "When do you think Professor Dyke will be back?"

"From that family emergency of his? Who knows? For all we know, it could take-"

"Attention students!" Professor Cosmos called from the podium. "I have just received word that Professor Dyke has returned! He will be in here to introduce a new member to our staff! So please sit still, and be quiet!"

Everyone began to whisper to each other.

"A new teacher?" Rune wondered.

"Ooooh!" Mary said excitedly. "I wonder what she'll be like!"

"How do you hire a teacher in the middle of a family emergency?" Amber raised an eyebrow.

"You don't think-" Noel started.

Then the doors opened, and Professor Dyke walked in. Following him...Everyone gasped.

She was in her mid twenties, and had a face that only angels could match in beauty. She wore a plain white robe that stopped just a little above her ankles, and her feet were completely bare. Copper hair that would reach to her waist waved in the air, despite there being no wind.

She and Professor Dyke walked up to Professor Cosmos, and shook her hand. Even she looked ready to drop due to the new woman's beauty. Then Professor Dyke began to speak.

"Hello, my students." He began. "Sorry for being away so long, but I needed to attend to some family matters. However, the situation gave us one good thing, and this is her." He gestured to the woman, pride clearly on his face. "I would like for you to meet the newest member of our staff, my daughter."

If everyone wasn't shocked, they were now.

"WHAT!?" They all exclaimed.

"Children!" Professor Cosmos scolded. "That is disrespect-"

"It's alright." Professor Dyke's daughter said.

They all became silent as she stepped up to the podium, and began to speak.

"Hello, children!" She gave them a serene smile. "My name is Terra Dyke, and I will be your new Biology teacher!"


End file.
